Korda, Jeeno Thitikul and Lydia Ko, three of the biggest stars on the LPGA, ranked inside the top 15: Korda (eighth), Thitikul (12th) and Ko (15th).
The world No. 1 made $10 million in endorsements, bringing her total to $14.4 million. Thitikul made $7.1 million on the course and $2 million in endorsements, while Ko took home $3.2 million on the course and $3.5 million in endorsements.
Other names on the list included tennis sensation Coco Gauff (first, $30.4), Olympic gymnast Simone Biles (ninth, ~$11 million) and WNBA star Caitlin Clark (10th, ~$11 million).
NAPLES, Fla. — Lydia Ko promised herself she wouldn’t cry. Made a note of it, actually, on her speech.
But when Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez surprsing her by coming on stage to welcome her to the LPGA Hall of Fame Wednesday night at the Rolex Awards, Ko put the bouquet flowers in front of her face to hide the tears.
“To think that I’m in that prestigious club with them, it’s honestly hard to wrap my head around that,” said Ko after her opening round at the CME Group Tour Championship. “But just how welcoming they’ve been. Every time I win or play well, Nancy texts me like messages with, like, so many hearts and she’s just become more than just someone that played generations ahead.
“She’s been like an aunt, somebody that’s taken me in and I have really relied on. I’ve been fortunate to actually been able to spend some time with Juli Inkster and Pat Hurst the past few weeks before Pelican.
“To hear some of their stories it’s funny, but back of my mind I’m like, oh, my God. I’m in the Hall of Fame with her. It’s just crazy.”
My favorite moment from last night! Lydia Ko said she wouldn’t cry, but Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam got her! Special moment welcoming her to the toughest Hall of Fame in all of sports. pic.twitter.com/hkKzDIqdCc
Before Ko even walked on stage to accept the Heather Farr Perseverance Award, the emotions started to kick in as she watched a highlight reel. The LPGA had sent her a similar video earlier in the year that showed her winning putt at the Olympics before transitioning to the putt that won her first LPGA title at age 15 and everything that followed.
“It’s weird because that’s really the only video I’ve been watching,” said Ko, “but I think it’s because it’s just like given me like flashbacks of all those moments. You know, the things in between as well that I can vividly remember.
“Like I have actually sat in the car and like watched that and shed a tear as well.”
Lydia Ko is recognized by Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam for qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame during the 2024 LPGA Rolex Players Awards at Tiburon Golf Club. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Ko opened the season-ending CME with a 5-under 67 to trail by three. A three-time winner this season on the LPGA, Ko won her third career major at the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews two weeks after winning Olympic gold.
The winner of this week’s event earns a record $4 million. Ko won $1.5 million the the first time she claimed the CME title in 2014 (for winning the tournament and $1 million bonus). In 2022, she claimed the $2 million winner’s check.
NAPLES, Florida – Lydia Ko typically hires a dog sitter for her Shibu Inu named Kai. On Tuesday morning, while Ko texted with last week’s sitter, Kai dashed away at Tiburon Golf Club and ran down the 18th hole, taking a dip in the water before disappearing.
“I didn’t see him for like 10 to 15 minutes,” said Ko, who eventually caught up to him on the 13th. Needless to say, she didn’t need to warm up before her practice round at the CME Group Tour Championship after all that chasing.
Later that afternoon, Ko brought Kai up with her for a pre-tournament press conference at the season-ending CME, where she’ll be awarded the Heather Farr Perseverance Award on Wednesday night at the Rolex LPGA Awards dinner.
Given all the success she’s had in the second half of 2024 – winning gold at the Paris Olympics, the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews and qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame – it’s easy to forget that Ko didn’t even qualify for this event last year.
“I think like before like not making it into this event last year, I think I took for granted, that you know what, I always finish the season at the CME Group Tour Championship,” said Ko, who won the event in 2022.
“I think last year was like, hey, you know what? The level of competition is so much higher. I literally need to work my butt off to make sure that I’m qualified and playing here.”
After missing CME, Ko’s turnaround began at the Grant Thornton Invitational last December, where she came back to Tiburon and won with partner Jason Day. The momentum carried on at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January, where she won her first title of 2024.
As the pressure to get the 27th and final point needed for the Hall began to mount, Ko and husband Jun Chung began looking for a dog. Both the house and the road felt lonely at times when they were apart.
The couple first met Kai during the Mizuho Americas Open in May, and while Ko felt a connection to the puppy, they decided it was not the right time to adopt.
But later in the week, as the pair drove to the rental car return at Newark airport, Ko started to cry, realizing she’d likely never see the dog again.
“In my head, I was already calling him Kai,” said Ko. “I think his real name was like George or something. He doesn’t look like a George anyway.”
And so Kai became part of the family, traveling with Ko for the first time at the CPKC Women’s Open, where she was on her own.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand, poses with the AIG Women’s Open trophy following victory on Day Four of the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews Old Course on August 25, 2024 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
After finishing the third round in Canada with a bogey, Ko went back to her host family’s house, where she was enthusiastically greeted by Kai. With a renewed perspective, she’d go on to enjoy her best finish in months followed by wins in Paris and St. Andrews.
At some point during the summer, Ko’s husband asked if she’d rather win a third career major but not have Kai in her life, or have Kai, knowing she’d never win another major.
Ko picked Kai, only to have both in due time.
“It’s literally been a year of a fairytale,” said Ko. “I’m just so grateful for this whole season.”
There are 20 different golfers who hoisted a trophy on the LPGA in 2024.
Nelly Korda is having a season for the ages.
With seven wins – and a chance for an eighth in the season finale – Korda is the first LPGA golfer to have seven wins in a season since Yani Tseng in 2011. She’s the first American to win seven events since Beth Daniel in 1990. Korda’s previous best single-season win total was four victories in 2021. She has 15 career wins.
There are three other golfers with three wins. There are five golfers in all with more than one win in 2024. In all, 20 different golfers won an LPGA tournament this year.
Lydia Ko needed a tissue before leaving Golf Channel’s booth on Saturday at The Annika.
Lydia Ko needed a tissue before leaving Golf Channel’s booth on Saturday at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. They were grateful tears after she watched the likes of Pat Bradley and Meg Mallon welcome her into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
The tribute ended with heartfelt words from older sister Sura.
“You know, I’m so grateful to be able to know these amazing people, and to think of me so highly, I’m very thankful,” Ko told Golf Channel’s Morgan Pressel and Grant Boone.
“Golf, the results, the 22 wins, medals, they’re great; these kind of relationships are things that are going to be with me forever. Not that I’ll lose my memory one day, but if I do, these are the moments that I’ll remember.”
Ko, 27, shot a 5-under 65 in round three of The Annika to climb into the top 20. She earned the 27th point needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame at the Paris Summer Olympics. Soon after, she won the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews for her 22nd career LPGA title.
Ko became the 35th player to enter the LPGA’s Hall and only the 25th player to earn 27 HOF points. Nine women were inducted as honorary members (eight LPGA founders and beloved entertainer Dinah Shore).
Lydia Ko celebrates her gold medal at the medal ceremony at the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Le Golf National. (Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports)
And it wouldn’t be a Ko show without a “youngest to” accolade. At 27 years, three months and 17 days, she’s the youngest to get into the Hall under its current criteria.
“Golf has given me so much not only by results,” she said, “but some of the relationships that I’ve made. Golf is actually a strong bond even between my husband and I. It’s crazy.
“I don’t know when my end is going to be, but I know that I’m closer to then than when I was 15 or when I first came on tour.
“I’m excited, but excited to give it my best and my everything until the very end. It’s definitely a love/hate relationship. Looking back, I think there is more to love for sure.”
Children 17 and under also will be admitted free with a paid adult.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda, a two-time champion at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, has committed to playing in the upcoming event alongside defending champion Lilia Vu, currently ranked second, and Lydia Ko, the hottest player in the world. Recent champions Ruoning Yin and Hannah Green, who’ve both won multiple events in 2024, round out the top 5 players coming to the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
The LPGA’s penultimate event of the season will take place Nov. 11-17, and the field will vie for a purse of $3.25 million, one of the largest on tour. Eight of the top 10 players in the world have committed to the field. With WNBA star Caitlin Clark playing in the pro-am alongside Sorenstam and Korda, it’s likely to be a blockbuster affair.
(R to L) Annika Sorenstam of Sweden presents the trophy to Lilia Vu of the United States on the 18th green after The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican at Pelican Golf Club on November 12, 2023 in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Pelican Golf Club reopened for play last Wednesday, one week after Hurricane Milton left much of the course flooded. The tournament announced on Monday that all military personnel (active, reserve, retired and veterans) and a plus-one will receive complimentary access to the championship, including access to a special exclusive hospitality venue – the Hero Outpost presented by FedData – overlooking the tournament’s signature par-3 12th hole.
Additionally, all first responders and one guest will receive free tickets to the 2024 championship. First responders will have access to an exclusive hospitality venue, the First Responders Outpost presented by Servepro, located on the par-4 16th green.
Children 17 and under also will be admitted free with a paid adult.
This will be the fifth edition of The Annika, which serves as the cutoff for finalizing status for the 2025 season as well as the field for the lucrative CME Group Tour Championship.
The POY title would give Korda her 18th LPGA Hall of Fame point.
Nelly Korda is in position to claim her first Rolex Player of the Year title. Japan’s Ayaka Furue is the only player who can mathematically tie her in the points race, and it would take a heroic effort of sweeping her next four starts. And that’s if Korda fails to earn more points.
Korda, who is currently sidelined with a minor neck injury, leads the tour with 244 points. Lydia Ko trails by 100 points in second place but only has two starts left this season: The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and the CME Group Tour Championship. A victory is worth 30 points, which means Ko mathematically can’t win.
Furue, currently in third place with 124 points, has four starts remaining, as she isn’t scheduled to play in The Annika. South Korea’s Haeran Ryu would need five wins to catch Korda, but she’s currently only slated to make four more starts (skipping the Lotte in Hawaii).
Nelly Korda celebrates after a victory on the second playoff hole during the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Bradenton Country Club on January 28, 2024 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
World No. 1 Korda won six times in the first half of the season, including the Chevron Championship, her second career major title. No American player has won that many times on tour since Beth Daniel won seven times in 1990.
POY points are awarded for top-10 finishes only and are doubled at the majors. Korda has nine top-10 finishes in 14 starts.
In 2021, Korda won four times on the LPGA, including the KPMG Women’s PGA, as well as Olympic gold in Tokyo but was edged out in the POY race by Jin Young Ko.
South Korea’s Ko won five times on the LPGA that season (no majors) and took the POY based on the strength of 13 top 10s. She beat Korda by 14 points. Had Korda earned 30 points for her gold-medal performance though, she would’ve taken the honor.
Should Korda go on to clinch the 2024 POY, which she could do as early as next week’s Toto Japan Classic, she’ll follow in the footsteps of California’s Lilia Vu, who won last year. The last time American players won the award in consecutive years was 1993 (Betsy King) and 1994 (Beth Daniel).
The POY title would give Korda her 18th LPGA Hall of Fame point. She needs 27 points to qualify.
Green was 4 under through nine holes when play was halted.
Australia’s Hannah Green holds a two-shot lead at the BMW Ladies Championship after play was suspended at 1:05 p.m. local time on Friday in South Korea due to unplayable conditions.
Rain throughout the day at Seowon Valley Country Club led to standing water on the greens. Play will resume on Saturday at 8 a.m. local time with no re-pairing. The third round is slated to begin at 9:48 a.m.
Green was 4 under through nine holes when play was halted. She’s two shots ahead of South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, who is playing in the same group along with Jenny Shin, one of four players at 8 under. Former BMW champion Lydia Ko joins Shin in a share of third alongside Hye-Jin Choi and Nanna Koerstz Madsen.
No one in the field of 78 finished the second round, though several groups were on their final hole.
Hanna Green of Australia smiles on the 9th green during the second round of the BMW Ladies Championship 2024 at Seowon Hills Country Club on October 18, 2024 in Paju, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
A two-time winner on tour this season, Green took five weeks off following the FM Championship and went back home to Australia. Green, who returned to the tour last week in China, said on Thursday that she didn’t get to play as much as she would’ve liked in Perth. She tied for 47th at the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
“The weather actually wasn’t as great as I was hoping it would be back at home,” she said, “but obviously sometimes life just gets really busy, and it actually was a busier trip than I thought.
“I did kind of know that it was going to be a little bit probably tougher last week, and I actually decided yesterday to not play a practice round and just do some good practice because I felt like I also wasn’t able to do that last week in China. I think that paid off today.”
Lydia Ko of New Zealand hits her third shot on the 1st hole during the second round of the BMW Ladies Championship 2024 at Seowon Hills Country Club on October 18, 2024 in Paju, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Ko hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in her last six starts worldwide, including three victories. The 2022 BMW winner was bogey-free through 13 holes with three birdies when play was suspended. The LPGA’s most recent Hall of Fame inductee began the week by hosting a dinner for LPGA players and staff.
Ko’s recent surge in form can be credited at least in part to a change off the tee.
Lydia Ko hit 17 greens and didn’t miss a fairway in an opening 5-under 67 at the 2024 BMW Ladies Championship in her native South Korea. The 27-year-old carded yet another bogey-free round, her 135th dating back to the 2014 season, which is 51 more than anyone else in that span.
Ko’s recent surge in form – she hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in her last six starts worldwide, including three victories – can be credited at least in part to a change, quite literally, off the tee.
Put simply: She now tees the ball lower with her driver.
“I think there was a time when I started not hitting my drivers well,” said Ko, “but then I don’t know if it’s a subconscious thing, but like my 3-wood, I was hitting it really well, and I feel pretty comfortable hitting driver off the deck, anyway, when the lie is decent.
“I combined all of the things that I was doing well and something that I felt comfortable. Sometimes when I know for a fact that I want to almost guarantee that the ball is going to go from left to right, I always do that.”
When Ko won the Kroger Queen City Championship last month, she missed only five fairways in the entire tournament, hitting 91 percent. In her last three starts on the LPGA going into the BMW, she hit 88 percent of her fairways, according to KPMG Performance Insights. In the previous six starts, however, she’d hit only 53 percent of the fairways.
The dip in fairways hit began at the Cognizant Founders Cup in May (61 percent) and extended through the CPKC Women’s Open (48 percent). The low point came at the U.S. Women’s Open when she hit only 35 percent of the fairways.
The shift began at the Paris Olympics.
Lydia Ko tees off on the 18th hole at the AIG Women’s Open in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Luke Walker/Getty Images)
“When she tees it down, we all know that this is the shot that she needs to find the fairways,” said Golf Channel analyst Karen Stupples. “We know that it’s her fairway finder.”
After Round 1 in South Korea, Ko trails leaders Hannah Green, Ashleigh Buhai and Jenny Shin, who all opened with a 64, by three strokes. The winningest active player on the LPGA with 22 titles, Ko won the 2022 BMW by four strokes.
“It’s kind of become, you know, part of my, like, strategy,” said Ko of teeing the ball lower, “and sometimes when it’s firm, like in Cincinnati, it goes further than my normal drives. It might not carry as far, but runs out there.
“So it’s definitely like a good 15th club, kind of, that I’ve had in the bag. For sure it’s not really a club at all golf courses, but I think I’ve been able to be smart and utilize it well to my advantage.”
Ko returned to the LPGA in her native South Korea with a kind gesture of hospitality.
Lydia Ko returns to the LPGA this week and kicked things off in her native South Korea with a kind gesture of hospitality. The newly-minted LPGA Hall of Famer treated a large number of LPGA players and staff to a Korean-style barbecue dinner near the BMW Ladies Championship’s official hotel.
Rose Zhang, Jeeno Thitikul, Lauren Coughlin, Megan Khang, Hinako Shibuno and Celine Boutier were among those in attendance.
“Yeah, Chella used to do that, give a little, I guess, experience to the LPGA staff and some of the players that came over for this event,” said Ko. “You know … my thought behind it as well, especially [since] I’ve had such a grateful year, a lot of positives.
“I think one of the fortunate things for me is I’ve gotten a lot of support from my fellow competitors and players who play on the LPGA. As much as we are playing against each other, and we want to be the one that finishes at the top of the leaderboard every week, they have been super supportive and some of them are girls that I’ve just known for a really long time.”
Ko, currently ranked No. 3 in the world, won this event in 2022 and has the best record on tour at the BMW over the past three seasons. Her combined score of 52 under par is 11 strokes better than any other player in that span, with Alison Lee coming the closest at 41 under, according to KPMG Performance Insights. Ko also finished in the top three at this event in 2021 and 2023.
She ranks fourth on the LPGA money list this season with $2,569,317.
The BMW’s field of 78 boasts 17 of 18 winners this season, with No. 1 Nelly Korda noticeably absent after suffering a minor neck injury during practice. This marks the second year the event has been held at Seowon Valley Country Club, with Minjee Lee winning in 2023.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand poses for a photo with her caddie and team during a pro-am ahead of the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews Old Course on August 21, 2024, in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Ko’s hot streak dates back to August when she took a share of eighth at the CPKC Women’s Open. She followed that with an Olympic gold medal and her third career major championship victory at the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.
After a brief respite, Ko returned to action at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Ohio last month where she won again. She then immediately flew to South Korea, where she finished 10th at the Hana Financial Group Championship on the KLPGA.
Ko’s 11th season on the LPGA marks the fifth time in her career that she’s won at least three times in a season. The most wins she’s recorded in a single season is five back in 2015.
