‘Really Cool’: Lydia Ko’s Answer to a Winless Drought Gets Outshined by Something Far More Greater

Lydia Ko is back at the top of the board! The New Zealand pro was able to card yet another victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, a while back. Interestingly, this win would have been extra special for the golfer since it comes after a winless season on the LPGA Tour. However, it seems the Kiwi’s attention was on something else entirely following the triumph.

In an interview after the win, the 26-year-old was asked about how she felt regarding the fact that she is just one point shy of the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame after the event. Well, she did go ahead and express her feelings behind the same, but, while doing so, she didn’t forget to dub it as “really cool” no less!

Lydia Ko gets candid about her Hall of Fame chances

“I’m literally right in front of the door!” exclaimed an ecstatic Ko when asked about being just a point away from becoming a Hall of Famer, while saying, “I thought two was really close and now one is really, really close.” But she was quick to calm herself down as she mentioned how she would try to “do a good job” in everything she did before indicating, “If it happens, it happens. If not, just not meant to be mine,” while referring to the Hall of Fame.

Adding on, the 2-time Major champ, however, did term the idea of being able to give herself a “better chance of it now after winning this week” as “definitely really cool.” Nevertheless, the athlete was hopeful that “nothing changes internally” and she can “just try and … continue to play solid golf” while being optimistic about the future.

Ko, with a win at the first event of the 2024 calendar, pushed her tally of victories to 20 on the circuit. This has helped her rake in a total of 26 LPGA Hall of Fame points, just one away from the necessary 27 to be inducted into the same. Moreover, in order to become part of the same, the golfer should have won a major or should have been awarded the Vare Trophy or the Rolex Player of the Year Award. Surprisingly, she has received all three. She won the POY in 2015 and 2022 while receiving the Vare trophy in 2021 and 2022.

She sure was able to take one more step closer to the big names list. Well, it’s all thanks to the amazing performance she delivered on Sunday, registering her first win in 2024.

Ko’s performance at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions

During the final round on Sunday at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, the 26-year-old was able to register a score of 70 while cementing her position at the top of the leaderboard. Moreover, she was able to rake in a winner’s cut of $225,000 owing to the final score of 14-under-274 that she was able to put up on the scoreboard.

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The final day of play saw her hole a total of four birdies and two bogeys to card a 2-under on the par-72 course in Orlando. It truly was a dominating performance by the athlete, which marked an end to her losing streak on the LPGA Tour. Take a bow, Ko!

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