Lydia Ko secures her LPGA Hall of Fame induction with a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics
New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko won her maiden gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a score of 10 under. It is the third Olympic medal of her career and cements her place in the pantheon of women's golf greats.
With the gold medal, Ko has been automatically inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. The New Zealander is only the 26th player to earn a spot in this super-exclusive institution in its 70-year history.
To be eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame, a player must meet two essential requirements. The first is to win at least one major championship, be awarded the Vare Trophy, or be named the LPGA Tour Player of the Year. Ko has met all the criteria.
The second requirement is to earn 27 points from a system established by the LPGA Tour. Lydia Ko earned her points as follows:
Major championship titles (4 points)
- 2015 Evian Championship (2 points)
- 2016 Chevron Championship (2 points)
Other LPGA Tour victories (18 points)
- 2012 CN Canadian Women's Open
- 2013 CN Canadian Women's Open
- 2014 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic
- 2014 Marathon Classic
- 2014 CME Group Tour Championship
- 2015 ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open
- 2015 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic
- 2015 Canadian Pacific Women's Open
- 2015 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship
- 2016 Kia Classic
- 2016 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
- 2016 Marathon Classic
- 2018 LPGA Mediheal Championship
- 2021 Lotte Championship
- 2022 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio
- 2022 BMW Ladies Championship
- 2022 CME Group Tour Championship
- 2024 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Vare Trophy (2 points)
- 2021
- 2022
LPGA Tour Player of the Year (2 points)
- 2015
- 2022
Olympic golf medal (1 point)
- Paris 2024
Ko is the first inductee into the LPGA Hall of Fame since 2022. That year, Lorena Ochoa was inducted along with eight honorary members.
Is Lydia Ko the youngest player to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame?
Lydia Ko has just been inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame at the age of 27 years, 3 months, and 17 days. This may qualify her as the youngest player to have her name inscribed in the institution, but the calculation is a bit complex.
Until a few years ago, one of the requirements to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame was a 10-year career on the LPGA Tour. Because of this, both Inbee Park and Lorena Ochoa were inducted sometime after meeting all other requirements.
Park completed her 27 points by winning the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November 2015. She was 27 years, four months, and three days old then. However, she was not yet 10 years into her career on the circuit and was inducted months later in 2016.
Ochoa experienced something similar. The Mexican star completed her 27 points (with the rest of the requirements included) in 2008, the year she turned 27. At the time, she had only played five seasons on the LPGA Tour.
Ochoa retired from professional golf in 2010, so she did not complete her 10 years on tour and had not been inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame until 2022, after which the 10-year requirement was eliminated.
Despite these additions, Ko is still the youngest player to be effectively inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.