Lydia Ko is one of the most phenomenal golfers of this generation, breaking almost every record she sets her eyes on. She recently bagged gold in the Paris Olympics, adding to her Tokyo 2020 bronze and Rio 2016 silver. With the feat, the New Zealand golfer became the first modern golfer to achieve all three medals at three different Olympic Games. The gold medal also earned her the crucial 27th point she needed to become an LPGA Hall of Fame inductee, having earned other points through LPGA Tour wins, Major Championships, and points gained for her Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy victories. Below, we look at Ko’s remarkable journey to the top.
Early Beginnings
Lydia Ko was born on 24 April 1997 in Seoul, South Korea, and is 27 at the time of this writing. However, her family moved to New Zealand when she was four, where she gained citizenship at age 12. At age five, Ko developed a passion for golf after visiting Pupuke Golf Club’s pro shop on Auckland’s North Shore with her mom. She met professional Guy Wilson there, who coached her until 22 December 2013. In March 2005, 7-year-old Ko participated in the New Zealand national amateur championships, attracting media attention.
The big break came on 29 January 2012, when 14-year-old Ko won the Bing Lee/Samsung Women’s NSW Open on the ALPG Tour, becoming the youngest person to win a professional golf tour event at the time. The record-breaking streak continued later that year in August when she won the CN Canadian Women’s Open at the age of 15 years and four months, becoming the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Tour event. Nonetheless, she missed out on the $300,000 winner’s share due to her amateur status. In 2013, Ko defended her CN Canadian Open title but again missed out on the prize money as an amateur!
Professional Career
After holding the world’s top-ranked woman amateur golfer position for 130 weeks, Ko turned pro on 23 October 2013. Her pro debut was at the 2013 CME Group Titleholders, where she finished tied for 21st. In October 2013, she joined the LPGA Tour and began working with swing coach David Leadbetter in November. 2014 saw Ko scoop three LPGA Tour titles, starting with the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in April, where she celebrated her 17th birthday. She followed up with the Marathon Classic in July and finished the year in style by winning the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in November. Ko won the LPGA Rookie of the Year for the 2014 season.
2015 was a remarkable year for Lydia Ko, recording five wins. Her runner-up finish at the Coates Golf Championship in February pushed her to No. 1 on the Women’s World Golf Rankings. Later that month, she scooped her first title of the year at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, marking her sixth LPGA Tour win and ninth overall victory. Ko then bagged her third Ladies European Tour trophy at the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open a week later.
The second LPGA Tour win of the 2015 season came at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, where the New Zealander beat Morgan Pressel in a playoff. In August, Ko outwitted Stacy Lewis in a playoff to win her third Canadian Pacific Women’s Open title. On 13 September 2015, she made history by becoming the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history after winning the Evian Championship. Later that year, she became the youngest LPGA Rolex Player of the Year Award winner in November.
In 2016, Ko started by defending her ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open title, followed by the LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic in March. On 3 April, she won her second major at the ANA Inspiration, strengthening her position as world No. 1. Two more LPGA Tour victories followed at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and Marathon Classic. Then, she won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, representing New Zealand. At the end of the 2016 season, Ko switched her equipment sponsorship contract from Callaway to Parson’s Xtreme Golf (PXG) and parted ways with coach David Leadbetter.
In 2017, Ko failed to win any titles, entering 26 events and finishing in the top 10 ten times. She ended the season ranked ninth on the WWGR with a scoring average of 68.86 and No. 13 on the season’s money list with $1,177,450 earnings. In 2018, the golfer won only once at the LPGA Mediheal Championship and then starved without a trophy until 2021, when she won the Lotte Championship in Hawaii. In August of that year, Ko won a bronze medal at the COVID-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics and bagged the Vare Trophy for the LPGA Tour’s lowest scoring average in November.
In 2022, Ko won thrice out of 22 tournaments, starting with the Gainbridge LPGA title at Boca Rio in January. The second win came in October at the BMW Ladies Championship in Wonju, followed by the CME Group Tour Championship trophy and $2 million first prize in November. That year, the New Zealander won the LPGA Player of the Year, the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, and the season’s money title, returning to the Number 1 ranking for the first time since 2017. In 2023, Ko won the Aramco Saudi Ladies International in Saudi Arabia for the second time in February and then clinched the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational mixed team tournament alongside Jason Day in December. She began 2024 by winning the LPGA Tour’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January.
LPGA Hall of Fame Induction
Every female golfer dreams of making it to the LPGA Hall of Fame. To gain entry, one must accrue 27 points and have won at least one LPGA Major, the Rolex Player of the Year, or the Vare Trophy. A Major title grants two points, while a regular LPGA Tour win contributes one point. The Rolex Player of the Year award is worth one point, while the Vare Trophy, given to the player with the lowest scoring average at the end of a season, contributes a point. An Olympic gold medal also contributes one point.
Before the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Lydia Ko had amassed 26 points – 18 from LPGA Tour wins, four from two major titles, and four from winning the Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy twice each. On 10 August, she won the gold medal at Le Golf National, attaining the remaining 27th point in the most valuable stage of all. Ko became the 35th and youngest inductee into the LPGA Hall of Fame with the win.
Parting Shot
Ko’s story is that of pure talent, hard work, and resilience because even the brief slump from 2018 to 2021 didn’t kill her spirit. She came back better and stronger, and now, at only 27 years of age, she comfortably sits among the sport’s greatest in the LPGA Hall of Fame.