Nelly Korda or Lydia Ko: Who had a better year in 2022?
US golfer Nelly Korda and New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko were the two most talked-about female golfers in 2022. Both prime golfers gave it their best in the calendar year, but who came out on top between the two? Let's find out.
Nelly Korda's 2022 highlights
Nelly Korda had a rollercoaster of a year, but she fought through it. In January of this year, she broke the record for the most time (26 weeks) a female American golfer has held the world no.1 spot, surpassing Stacy Lewis' record of 25 weeks.
Unfortunately, in March, she announced on social media that she had been diagnosed with a blood clot in the subclavian vein in her left arm. (via CNN)
“After a typical morning workout, my arm started to feel like it was swelling. At the advice of my doctor, I went to the Emergency Room as a precaution. I was diagnosed with a blood clot.”
She missed out on this year's first major, the Chevron Championship, as well as the JTBC Classic, undergoing surgery, rest and rehabilitation. She returned to the US Open in June and finished in the top 10.
In November, Nelly Korda registered her first win in 2022 after defending her title at the Pelican Women's Championship. Her 14-under par win also helped her return to the world No. 1 spot. She would drop to the second spot by the end of 2022, though.
Lydia Ko's 2022 highlights
Lydia Ko won three titles this year - the CME Group Tour Championship, the BMW Ladies Championship and the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio. She returned to the world No. 1 spot for the first time since 2017.
She also won the coveted 'LPGA Player of the Year' award and is currently, only two points short of the necessary 27 to make it into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Ko also won the Vare Trophy for registering an average of 68.988, the season's lowest-scoring average. Her current average is only bested by Annika Sorenstam's 2002 average of 68.70 in the Tour's history.
Comparing both players, Ko made 22 starts and 22 cuts to Korda's 15 starts and 13 cuts. Ko earned 14 Top 10s to Korda's eight, registered three wins to Korda's one and earned $4.4 million to Korda's $1.4 million
All things considered it seems that Ko had a better year out of the two.
When Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda reacted to the LPGA Tour's increase in purse
This year, it was announced that the LPGA Tour will increase its total purse to $101.4 million in the upcoming season. This is the first time in history that such a substantial amount has been allotted to women's golf.
This news was met with excitement, especially from the two most prominent golfers, Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda. Korda talked about it in a press conference during round 2 of the CME Group Tour Championship in November. (via Essentially Sports):
"It’s amazing. You know… women’s golf is really trending in a great direction. Every year, we see a lot really… a lot of positives come from it. The sponsors can see it, and they’re really backing us. And we’re really grateful for that."
Lydia Ko displayed the same level of excitement and said:
"It was super cool like when I first saw it. ust for it to keep improving, it just shows that like one, like how much our partners believe in us. And two, also the level of on the LPGA, and that’s why people want to support us. I think it’s great for not only us that are playing right now but for the future generation."