Lydia Ko: Why the New Zealander Is Still the LPGA Tour’s Biggest Asset

Golf has seen a lot of talented athletes over the years. Be it the LPGA Tour or the men’s circuit, many of the pros have turned heads owing to their skills and determination. However, only a few have managed to be truly called ‘great’ in the sport, including the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, or Annika Sorenstam. But now, it appears yet another golfer has crawled their way into the list. Enter Lydia Ko.

The athlete had been the center of attention ever since she turned pro in 2013. Although a winless drought in 2023 did hamper her journey, she, fortunately, managed to get back on track with a victory at the 2024 HGV Tournament of Champions. Well, when one looks at all the accolades that she has managed to rake in, the community sure does nothing wrong when dubbing her as an asset for the tour!

Lydia Ko and her golfing accolades

Over the years of playing pro golf, Ko has managed to win 20 times on the LPGA Tour, including two majors at the 2015 Evian Championship, and the 2016 ANA Inspiration. Interestingly, the first of her wins came before she became a professional in the circuit at the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open, making her the first amateur to do so in 43 years. Moreover, she has also emerged victorious six other times on the Ladies European Tour, excluding her 2015 major win.

Well, let us backtrack a bit since dubbing her one of the circuit’s all-time greats requires us to take into account her early accolades as well. The athlete, even as an amateur was nothing short of remarkable. She was awarded the Mark H. McCormack Medal, back in 2011, making her the first-ever female to be gifted so. The honor is presented once a year to the top-ranked golfer in both the male and female amateur circuits.

Did she stop there? Not at all. The Kiwi went ahead to claim the medal two more times in 2012, and 2013, the former during which she became the youngest player, at 15 years of age, to win a professional tournament at the New South Wales Open. She followed this with her first LPGA Tour victory in August and then went ahead to become the youngest player to reach No.1 in 2014.

The rest is history, as the current world No.9 was awarded the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year in 2014, and the Rolex Player of the Year in 2015 owing to her phenomenal win record of 5 victories including a major. Since then, the New Zealand professional has bagged it once more in 2022, the year in which she raked in three victories on the circuit. Adding on to her honors, Ko also won the 2021 Founders Award, and the Vare Trophy twice in 2021 and 2022, for the lowest scoring average. So many feats! However, was that all she gained through her career?

Lydia Ko and the multimillion-dollar bills

Being at the top of the world rankings for a long time (19 in 2015, 85 between 2015 and 2017, and 21 between 2022 and 2023) must have helped her rake in a lot of money. Well, you’re right! The golfer is currently at No.5 on the career money earnings list, at a whopping $17,331,381 on the LPGA Tour.

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But, interestingly, if we look at the likes of Woods, Nicklaus, and Sorenstam, they all have a thing in common. Yes, it’s none other than being a part of the sport’s Hall of Fame. However, Ko is unfortunately not a part of it at the moment. But, it’s not as if she wouldn’t ever get there. The fans just need to wait a little bit!

Ko’s entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame

For a player to be inducted into the HOF, she needs to have earned 27 points in their career. How to earn the points? There are three ways, winning an event on the LPGA circuit earns the golfer 1 point, a major victory cards them 2 while getting awarded a Vare Trophy or a Player of the Year Award brings them 1 point each.

What about Ko? According to the accolades she has raked in over the years; with 20 wins including 2 majors, 2 Vare Trophies, and 2 POY awards; the golfer has a total of 26 points, just one shy of the required amount. What’s more, she is just 26 years old. Ample time for her to win another event and gain one more point for the honor. Not that she would stop there, but still!

With all the feats she has managed to achieve in her career, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think of her as one of the best that the LPGA Tour has ever seen over the years. In fact, very few, who are currently active as a professional, have managed to achieve the number of laurels that the New Zealander has managed to garner. Truly a talented golfer in modern times!

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