Lydia Ko’s induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame closer than ever as she chases a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Lydia Ko leads the Paris 2024 Olympic Games golf event after 3 rounds. The Kiwi is tied with Switzerland's Morgane Metraux at 9 under after 54 holes.

The fourth and deciding round will be a big one for Lydia Ko. She is not only in a good position to win the gold medal, but a victory on Saturday at Le Golf National would also mean Ko's immediate induction into the coveted LPGA Hall of Fame.

Lydia Ko has secured 26 of the 27 points needed for induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame. The New Zealander's points are as follows:

Major championship titles (2): 4 points
Other LPGA Tour wins (18): 18 points
Vare Trophy (2 times): 2 points
LPGA Player of the Year (2 times): 2 points
Total: 26 points

A victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics would open the doors to the LPGA Hall of Fame for Lydia Ko, as a gold medal adds one point to the list. Silver and bronze medals (of which Ko has won one each) do not count for any points.

The LPGA Tour Hall of Fame is considered one of the toughest institutions of its kind in all of sports. Only 25 players have earned induction in its more than 70-year history. There are a total of 34 women that are currently in the Hall of Fame.

Here are the requirements players must meet to earn induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame:

The player must have won/been awarded at least one of the following: An LPGA major championship, the Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honors.
The player must have accumulated a total of 27 points, which are awarded as follows: One point for each LPGA official tournament win, two points for each LPGA major tournament win and one point for each Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honor earned.
One point for an Olympic gold medal.

A look at Lydia Ko's performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Lydia Ko has been in contention throughout the first three rounds and is tied for the lead after 54 holes with Morgane Metraux. The Kiwi has been solid throughout the event with scores in the 60s in two of her three rounds.

The first day was Ko's unluckiest. She made four birdies, but two bogeys and a double bogey on the 15th levelled her score. Still, she remained in the top 15 at even par.

Ko played the second round at full tilt, making six birdies and no bogeys until the 17th. She had her only complication of the day on the 18th, when her third shot went over the green and into a bunker. She had a 17-foot putt for par, but missed it and finished with a bogey.

In the third round, she was in great form again with six birdies and two bogeys to tie with Metraux. Both will play in the final group of the final round, along with Rose Zhang, with a tee time of 6.39 am (Eastern Time).