Lydia Ko says she isn’t saying "Bye-bye, Golf" after Hall of Fame induction, views "whirlwind of a past three weeks" positively
The last three weeks have been nothing short of historic for Lydia Ko. While it all started with a gold medal win at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, it led to Ko being inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Post that, the golfer from New Zealand also won the recently concluded AIG Women's Open.
After winning the tournament held at the St. Andrews Links (Old Course), Ko spoke at the post-event press conference, where was asked about her reaction to winning a third Major championship after winning an Olympic gold and being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Lydia said (Via ASAP Sports):
"It's been the whirlwind of a past three weeks. It's been crazy to get into the Hall of Fame by winning the gold. These are things that I could have never imagined because they were just too good to be true."
Further, Ko revealed that after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, she won't be bidding goodbye to golf. Ko mentioned that before she could win the Olympic gold, someone told her to think of the Hall of Fame as a gas station on the way to the final destination. Ko said:
"I think for a while, that was my goal. I was making it seem like, okay, that was my end point, and I think after hearing that, that put it into perspective of saying, you know, what it's not like I'm going to get in the Hall of Fame and say, "Bye-bye, Golf. I'm still planning to play. I think that just make it easier to say, you know, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen, and I'm also going to focus on what's in front of me. I think this past three weeks was kind of like a representation of that scale."
At a young age, Ko has achieved remarkable success in her career. Apart from her 21 wins on the LPGA Tour, she has also won Olympic silver (2016), bronze (2020), and gold (2024) medals. Her win at the AIG Women's Open was her third Major championship victory.
How much did Lydia Ko earn after winning the 2024 AIG Women's Open?
After her monumental AIG Women's Open win at the famed St. Andrews Links (Old Course), Lydia Ko earned the highest of the $9,500,000 prize money. Ko made $1,425,000, whereas Ruoning Yin, Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, and Jiyai Shin made $594,759 for finishing T2.
Here is a detailed list of the payout for Lydia Ko and other golfers at the 2024 AIG Women's Open:
- 1 Lydia Ko $1,425,000
- T2 Ruoning Yin $594,759
- T2 Nelly Korda $594,759
- T2 Lilia Vu $594,759
- T2 Jiyai Shin $594,759
- 6 Ariya Jutanugarn $319,336
- T7 Akie Iwai $236,366
- T7 Casandra Alexander $236,366
- T7 Mao Saigo $236,366
- T10 Angel Yin $160,250
- T10 Linn Grant $160,250
- T10 Pajaree Anannarukarn $160,250
- T10 Nanna Koerstz Madsen $160,250
- T10 Lottie Woad (a) --
- T10 Alexa Pano $160,250
- T10 Jin Hee Im $160,250
- T17 Anne van Dam $121,000
- T17 Jeeno Thitikul $121,000
- T17 Jenny Shin $121,000
- T20 Albane Valenzuela $108,235
- T20 Charley Hull $108,235
- T22 Momoko Osato $91,414
- T22 Georgia Hall $91,414
- T22 Ashleigh Buhai $91,414
- T22 Linnea Strom $91,414
- T22 Celine Boutier $91,414
- T22 Andrea Lee $91,414
- T22 So Mi Lee $91,414
- T29 Paula Reto $68,572
- T29 Julia López Ramirez (a) --
- T29 Minami Katsu $68,572
- T29 Sarah Schmelzel $68,572
- T29 Yui Kawamoto $68,572
- T29 Rose Zhang $68,572
- T29 Alison Lee $68,572
- T29 Hyo Joo Kim $68,572
- T37 Wichanee Meechai $45,568
- T37 Ayaka Furue $45,568
- T37 Grace Kim $45,568
- T37 Nasa Hataoka $45,568
- T37 Hye-Jin Choi $45,568
- T37 Sei Young Kim $45,568
- T37 Nicole Broch Estrup $45,568
- T37 Carlota Ciganda $45,568
- T37 Ally Ewing $45,568
- T37 Amy Yang $45,568
- T37 Leona Maguire $45,568
- T37 Esther Henseleit $45,568
- T49 Arpichaya Yubol $30,688
- T49 Weiwei Zhang $30,688
- T49 Kristen Gillman $30,688
- T49 Hae Ran Ryu $30,688
- T49 Caroline Inglis $30,688
- T49 Gaby Lopez $30,688
- T55 Haruka Kawasaki $24,943
- T55 Xiyu Lin $24,943
- T55 Lee-Anne Pace $24,943
- T55 Lexi Thompson $24,943
- T55 Mi Hyang Lee $24,943
- T60 Lily May Humphreys $19,105
- T60 Na Rin An $19,105
- T60 Gabriella Cowley $19,105
- T60 Shannon Tan $19,105
- T60 Alexandra Forsterling $19,105
- T60 Marta Martin $19,105
- T60 Shuri Sakuma $19,105
- T60 Louise Rydqvist (a) --
- T60 Nuria Iturrioz $19,105
- T60 Stephanie Kyriacou $19,105
- T60 Patty Tavatanakit $19,105
- T71 Manon De Roey $13,988
- T71 Emma Spitz $13,988
- T71 Johanna Gustavsson $13,988
- T71 Maja Stark $13,988
- T71 Peiyun Chien $13,988
- T76 Morgane Metraux $10,661
- T76 Emma Grechi $10,661
- T78 Ela Anacona (a) --
- T78 Bailey Tardy $10,127
- T78 Auston Kim $10,127
- 81 In Kyung Kim $9,726
- 82 Ursula Wikstrom $9,459