[ad_1]
ORLANDO, Fla. – The joke developing the 18th on Sunday was that Lydia Ko now owns extra LPGA titles (20) than years Alexa Pano has been alive (19). As a younger Pano collected her second profession top-10 end with a runner-up exhibiting on the 2024 Hilton Grand Holidays Match of Champions, Ko moved to inside one level of qualifying for the LPGA Corridor of Fame.
Inbee Park was the final participant to qualify for what’s thought-about the hardest Corridor of Fame in sports activities eight years in the past. At age 27, Park was the youngest to ever enter the Corridor of Fame.
With 26 factors, Ko is now the closest energetic participant. Laura Davies, who’s already within the World Golf Corridor of Fame, stays two factors shy of the LPGA Corridor and performs a restricted schedule of 4 to 5 LPGA occasions every season.
Present World No. 1 Lilia Vu remembers watching a 15-year-old Ko win on the LPGA a dozen years in the past and pondering, What’s going on?
“I keep in mind being like, she’s the identical age as me,” mentioned Vu, “and I’m simply in highschool.”
Vu, who’s glad she went the school route at UCLA, stays amazed by Ko’s prowess contained in the ropes.
“She will hit the inexperienced from wherever,” mentioned Vu. “I’ve seen her virtually in unimaginable locations, and he or she’ll hit it to 10 ft. I’m like, how did you try this?”
A closing 2-under 70 on one other chilly day at Lake Nona Golf & Nation Membership gave Ko a 14-under complete and a victory at her dwelling membership. She purchased a house at Lake Nona towards the top of 2019, transferring in simply earlier than Christmas.
Now the seventh girl on the LPGA to succeed in 20 wins earlier than age 27, Ko joins a listing that features Corridor of Famers Nancy Lopez, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak, Mickey Wright, Lorena Ochoa and Kathy Whitworth.
Ko earned $225,000 for the win to change into the fifth LPGA golfer to go over the $17 million mark in profession earnings.
There have been occasions when a misplaced Ko questioned if she’d ever win once more. She’s now cautious about getting too far forward of herself.
“I gained my first occasion final yr (on the LET) and form of went sideways in a short time,” Ko mentioned of not getting “too cocky.”
And by that, the standard Ko simples means to not let the early success get to her head. To verify she’s nonetheless doing observe swings in her room, together with all the opposite little issues that received her up to now.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand performs her shot from the 18th tee through the remaining spherical of the Hilton Grand Holidays Match of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Nation Membership on January 21, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Picture by Julio Aguilar/Getty Photographs)
Whereas Ko skilled an unprecedented quantity of early success on the LPGA, successful twice as an newbie earlier than she even joined the tour, her profession has had a surprising variety of peaks and valleys. After ending a three-year victory drought in 2021 in dominating style in Hawaii, Ko gained 3 times in 2022 and earned Participant of the 12 months and Vare Trophy honors. She regarded poised to dash into the Corridor.
The 2023 season, nonetheless, took a pointy flip south after a gap victory on the Girls European Tour in Saudi Arabia. It received so unhealthy, that Ko needed to press towards the top of the yr simply to attempt to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship, which she’d gained the earlier yr. Ko ended up not qualifying and as an alternative flew in new swing coach Si Woo Kim to Orlando. Kim had taken a take a look at Ko’s swing through the Asian swing in South Korea.
Quickly after, she teamed up with Aussie Jason Day to win the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational and headed into a brief offseason with a extra optimistic way of thinking.
Inbee Park, who’s at present on maternity go away, leads the tour amongst energetic gamers with 21 titles. Each Davies and Cristie Kerr have 20. Former No. 1s Yani Tseng, who has been battling damage and off the tour since 2021, and Jin Younger Ko every have 15 victories.
Ko’s mentioned her low level final season got here in Arkansas at a Staybridge Suites when she discovered herself crying to her husband about her incapability to string two rounds collectively. The tears flowed usually final yr. Even her mother mentioned one thing about how a lot she cried.
“I believe final yr I used to be chasing the Corridor of Fame,” mentioned Ko. “I felt like I may have – with the best way I used to be taking part in in 2022 – I may again it up with one other nice yr. Look the place it put me.”
After successful at Nona, Ko thought she’d cry tears of pleasure. Curiously, nothing got here out.
“I don’t even know what meaning,” she mentioned with a smile.
The tap lastly turned off, and a mature, introspective Ko is left to march on towards her future, with every triumph feeling that a lot sweeter.
[ad_2]
Source link
