Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions

Lake Nona’s own Lydia Ko leads by two at LPGA TOC; Annika Sorenstam trails by one in celebrity division

Ko moved to Lake Nona in 2019.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Lydia Ko moved inside the gates at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club Christmas of 2019. Her mom got the place fixed up while Ko competed in the Asian swing that year. It turned out to be a great time to move as the world shut down not long after Ko set up shop in the tony community and never left.

“It was great that I could be inside the gates and I remember not being in a car for like three months,” said Ko of the 2020 pandemic. “I stayed in here, drove the cart around, and that’s it.

With one round to go in the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Ko holds a two-stroke lead over LPGA sophomore Alexa Pano, the former Netflix star who won in her rookie year on the LPGA in Northern Ireland.

The Kiwi shot 4-under 68 on a frigid day in central Florida, her last bogey coming on the 17th hole of the first round. Ko sits at 12 under for the tournament with another chilly day on the horizon.

Tournament of Champions: Photos

Pano, meanwhile, carded the first bogey-free round of her LPGA career on Saturday, a 5-under 67, noting that her father/caddie, Rick, is particularly enjoying the celebrity portion of the event. Pano, a Massachusetts native, played alongside former Celtics player Ray Allen in the opening round and former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens in the second round.

“It’s really nice to have him with me this week and let him fan-girl a little bit,” said Pano.

Longtime Nona resident Annika Sorenstam stumbled in with a back-nine 43 to fall one point back of former NHL player Jeremy Roenick, who leads with 107 points in the Modified Stableford format. Sorenstam sits tied with former MLB All-Star Derek Lowe, who beat her in a playoff two years ago at this event.

“Very disappointed with the back nine,” said Sorenstam, “especially because I like the back nine. I don’t know why. Just didn’t happen.”

Now only two points shy of the 27 required to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, Ko could move one point closer with a victory at her home club. After a shockingly poor 2023 LPGA season, Ko sought the guidance of a new swing instructor in Si Woo Lee, who came to Lake Nona ahead of the Grant Thornton Invitational. Ko, of course, went on to win alongside partner Jason Day at Tiburon Golf Club, giving her a much-needed boost as she entered a relatively short offseason.

Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Jason Day of Australia celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2023 Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. (Photo: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

When asked if this felt like a continuation from an event she won just over a month ago, Ko said every day she feels like a new person. But there’s no denying it helped.

“I think he gave me like confidence in myself when I felt like I was letting the team down a little bit,” she said. “To see the things that I worked with my coach kind of work out, and for me to hit some of those really good shots coming down the stretch when it like meant the most, I think it gave me a little bit of assurance to say, hey, what I’m doing is good.”

Cheyenne Woods, now a mother of two, talks about future plans while husband Aaron Hicks plays in LPGA TOC celebrity division

“I do miss tour golf.”

ORLANDO, Fla. — Cheyenne Woods played her last round of golf five days before giving birth to her second child in two years.

Maya Nicole Hicks was born on Oct. 25, 2023. So much life has transpired since Woods caddied for then-boyfriend Aaron Hicks at the LPGA’s season opener three years ago. While Hicks returned to the field for this year’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, competing in the celebrity division at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, Woods is back home in Arizona caring for Maya and the couple’s 20-month-old son, Cameron.

“I do miss tour golf,” Woods told Golfweek. “I don’t necessarily miss the travel, but I do miss the competition. I watch a lot of golf. I watch more now than I probably ever have.”

Professional baseball player Aaron Hicks plays a shot on the sixth hole during the second round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on January 19, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Woods, 33, a longtime playing professional and niece of Tiger Woods, first met the MLB center fielder while interviewing him for her podcast, “Birdies Not BS.” Hicks played golf from ages 5 to 13 until switching to baseball, and he credits Woods for vastly improving his short game.

The former Yankees outfielder, who played most recently for Baltimore but is now a free agent, is a power player on the golf course. Several years ago, Woods shared an impressive ace from Hicks at Scottsdale’s Silverleaf Club on a 303-yeard par-4 – with a 3-wood.

This week it was the sweet swing of son Cameron on her Instagram page.

Aaron Hicks in the field again at @HiltonGrandVac. He and Cheyenne Woods’ son is already holding the pose 🤣🥹 pic.twitter.com/IGXSrlvhVV

— Chantel McCabe (@chantel_mccabe) January 18, 2024

“My son loves watching golf,” said Woods, “it’s crazy. He’s really getting into playing and baseball as well. … I would love for my kids to eventually be able to see what mom can do, what mom used to do.”

Hicks opened with rounds of 77-74 in the celebrity division, amassing 65 points in the Modified Stableford scoring system. LPGA Hall of Famer and Lake Nona resident Annika Sorenstam co-led the celebrity field with 75 points at the halfway mark with former NHL player Jeremy Roenick.

Former No. 1 Lydia Ko, another Lake Nona member, led the LPGA tournament after two rounds with Ayaka Furue at 8 under.

“I just love it out here,” said Hicks of coming back to the TOC. “I love being around the athletes from other sports and getting to watch some great golf with the LPGA. It’s kind of the best of both worlds. And also to feel that adrenaline that goes through you when you tee off on the first hole and finishing up on the last hole. It’s always fun to have that feeling.”

A rookie on the LPGA in 2015, Woods won the 2014 Volvik RACV Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour. The Wake Forest grad currently doesn’t have status on the LPGA and said she has no designs to play full-time again. She does, however, see herself trying to qualify for another U.S. Women’s Open or compete in an event from time to time.

“After traveling so much by myself on the road away from family, what I truly value most now is waking up and making my son breakfast, even the late-night feeds with my daughter,” said Woods.

“Our family is really what’s most important to me in terms of priority. Not only have I had two kids in the last two years, I lost my older brother last year unexpectedly. That, in addition to the beautiful blessing of kids, has really reaffirmed the importance of family and being there when you can while you can.”

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Photos: LPGA stars and celebrities at the 2024 HGV Tournament of Champions

A fun weekend in Florida is ahead.

The first LPGA tournament of 2024 is underway at Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida, as a small field of LPGA stars, as well as their celebrity partners, duel at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

On the LPGA side, Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and Rose Zhang are just a few of the big names while Annika Sorenstam (LPGA legend), Roger Clemens (former MLB pitcher) and Mardy Fish (former tennis professional) highlight the celebs.

Lake Nona is a par-72 track measuring 6,617 yards. Canadian star Henderson is the defending champion. Lydia Ko is the 2024 champion.

Here are some of the best photos from the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

LPGA has locker rooms in place this time around at 2024 season opener

Locker room talk will likely be kept to a minimum this year.

The LPGA season kicks off this week at the Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions and locker room talk will likely be kept to a minimum this time.

Last year, LPGA players and female celebrities began the week without lockers after a storm damaged the permanent lockers that are usually in place in the women’s locker room at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando.

The tournament planned to order temporary lockers to place on the second level of the clubhouse next to player dining, though that area did not include bathrooms. LPGA officials canceled the lockers, opting to use that space for other player uses.

On Wednesday of tournament week, after a couple of players publicly voiced concerns, 36 temporary lockers were delivered to the course.

Even with the temporary lockers, however, the locker room area was not designated as players-only – and therefore not private and secure – as it was also utilized by sponsor VIPs and tournament staff.

This year, tournament officials say LPGA players and celebrities will each have a designated locker inside the clubhouse for the Jan. 18-21 event, though the area will once again by utilized VIPs and staff.

“Similar to other LPGA tournaments, select tournament sponsors and staff will also have access to the clubhouse and this includes the restroom facilities within the locker rooms,” Aaron Stewart, VP of sports marketing at Hilton Grand Vacations, said in a statement.

“LPGA players and female celebrities will also have private restroom facilities for players-only in the upstairs area of the clubhouse adjacent to their player-only dining room. We have worked closely with the LPGA to ensure all appropriate security and access policies are followed.”

Brooke Henderson poses with the trophy after winning the 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando. (Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

When asked how many LPGA events have locker room areas that are open to non-players, the tour said in a statement that “each LPGA Tour tournament has unique clubhouse setups, configurations, and access rules based on a variety of factors.

“Most importantly, every event has security in place throughout the venue, including at the locker room entrance, to ensure the safety and well-being of our athletes.”

LPGA winners from the past two seasons are invited to compete for a $1.5 million purse at the TOC, while a field of celebrities vie for $500,000.

World No. 1 Lilia Vu headlines the field along with No. 2 Ruoning Yin, Lake Nona member Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and Rose Zhang.

Another Lake Nona resident, Annika Sorenstam, will compete in the celebrity field along with NBC’s Dylan Dreyer, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Landon Donovan, eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter, country music star Chris Lane and World Series champion and Hall of Famer John Smoltz.

“We are honored to partner closely with the LPGA and the fantastic golfers on the tour,” Stewart continued.

“Their feedback is always taken to heart in every decision we make in running this tournament as we want it to be an enjoyable experience that they come back to year after year. We heard from many players that they appreciated how quickly the locker situation was addressed last year because we understand it was less than ideal.”

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