A solitary champagne bottle lay chilled in a bucket of ice near the 18th green at the Drive On Championship last January. To the right, three more bottles lined up in the grass. To the left, a bouquet of red and white roses. Lydia Ko’s approach shot on the first playoff hole came to rest next to those flowers, foreshadowing what was to come. Ko ultimately lost to Nelly Korda, missing out on her chance to secure her entry into the Hall of Fame. The Paris Olympics seemed like the perfect place for Ko to achieve this milestone, needing only a gold medal to complete her set.
Ko’s emotional victory at the Paris Olympics was like a fairy tale come true, winning a gold medal and securing her spot in the Hall of Fame on the same day. After the intense competition that went down to the wire, Ko emerged victorious, earning her 27th Hall of Fame point. The victory at Le Golf National solidified Ko’s place among the LPGA legends, making her the 35th player to qualify for the Hall of Fame. The tough competition at the Olympics only added to the significance of her achievement.
Despite speculation about her retirement, Ko continued her remarkable season by claiming her third major championship victory at the AIG Women’s British Open. Now married and with a storied career behind her, Ko’s journey to the Hall of Fame has been anything but straightforward. As she navigates the final leg of her 11th season on the LPGA tour, the pressure on Ko to decide her future in the sport remains a lingering question.
