"It's honestly hard to wrap my head around" - Lydia Ko opens up about why she cried at the Rolex Awards
Lydia Ko won the Rolex Annika Major Award, which is given to the golfer with the best performance across the five Major championships every year. Her performance in each one, which included a win in the AIG Women's Open, was good enough to outdo all competitors.
The golfer cried when accepting the award, which she jokingly blamed on the pollen inside the room. She also laughed about the fact that her own highlights brought tears to her eyes.
Ko said a similar tribute from her Olympic gold medal this year made her emotional as well.
"I wanted to say, okay, I got to do well in this speech," she told the media. "I prepared for it and I don't want to be mumbling words up there. When Tom caught me by surprise and I saw Nancy and Annika, it was just.."
She continued:
"To think that I'm in that prestigious club with them, it's honestly hard to wrap my head around that. 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."
Ko said that Annika Sorenstam has been "like an aunt" to her and someone who took her in. She said it's "just crazy" that she is now in the Hall of Fame alongside Sorenstam. The Hall of Fame nod, the award, and the environment contributed to the tears during the ceremony, she said.
Lydia Ko discusses 'unbelievable' Rolex Awards
Lydia Ko won an Olympic gold medal alongside a Major championship and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024. It has been a banner year for the World No. 4 golfer.
She told the media:
"Rolex does an unbelievable job of celebrating not on the players, but everybody really involved to making the Tour what it is. It's a special night. Obviously we normally have it tonight, but they moved it forward for Wednesday."
Ko said she loves being there no matter if she receives an award, as she is happy to celebrate the rest of the winners. Ultimately, she was one of the winners, and she added:
"Yeah, you know, last night was very special, especially getting the award under Heather Farr's name for perseverance. To also get recognized by Nancy and Annika for the Hall of Fame was special. I didn't expect it as everybody saw in me crying."
The golfer said she's "grateful to have so many people just support" her, and she'll always cherish the relationships she's formed on the LPGA Tour. Ko said it was a night "full of gratitude" and once again thanked Rolex for putting on a great show.