After a Turnaround Worthy of the LPGA Hall of Fame, Lydia Ko Has Unfinished Business

Lydia Ko lost her sense of direction.
In 2022, the New Zealander had a superb season, winning LPGA Player of the Year. The following year, however, didn't bring the same success, with just two top-10s in 20 starts.
"It would be a lie to say I didn't get worried or think about potentially 2022 being the end of my heights," Ko said recently to Sports Illustrated.
But that proved not to be the case. In 2024, the 27-year-old put together one of her best seasons, notching three LPGA wins, including the AIG Women's Open (her third major victory) and the Olympic gold medal, which made her the youngest player to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
“Her career is rare, right?” Hall of Famer Karrie Webb said of Ko after the 2024 Paris Olympics. “Not many people win at 15 … and the fact that she’s had not just—she’s had some pretty big dips in her career and she’s managed to reinvent herself and come back and win again. That’s a testament to her will and strength of mind to do that.”
Though illustrious, Ko’s career has been turbulent at times. In 2012, she became the youngest LPGA winner in history as a 15-year-old amateur and rose to No. 1 in the world in 2015. Yet, she also endured a 1,084-day winless drought between 2018-2021.
So in 2024, how did she right the ship again?
It started at the end of 2023. Ko partnered with Jason Day in the Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed-gender unofficial event—and won.
“I put a cherry on top of a very mediocre cake and it kind of gave me a fresh new start to say, ‘Hey, the things that I’ve worked on during the fall were working,”’ Ko says.
And very quickly, she was able to put her subpar 2023 in the rearview by winning the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, where she is defending this week as the 2025 LPGA season begins.
“It was nice to come back and start with a boom and kind of gain confidence right away,” Ko says.
With the weight off her shoulders, Ko had one event in particular circled on her calendar: the Olympics in early August.
“With all the other events … I’ve got another chance next year,” Ko says, “but the Olympics is a once in every four years thing. Those opportunities just don’t come as easily.”
Ko, who won silver at the 2016 Olympics and bronze in 2021, was overcome with emotion after winning gold. But if she fell short, Ko likely wouldn’t have had another opportunity to complete her Olympic medal trifecta.
The 22-time LPGA winner has openly said numerous times that she doesn’t plan to play past 30 years old. Asked by SI if that could change, Ko stayed firm on her stance.
After her playing career ends, Ko wants to continue her psychology studies at Korea University, hoping it will take her to roots that she’s “never really properly experienced.”
But that doesn’t mean the golf world will never see her again.
“I would love to stay in touch and give back like what Michelle [Wie] or Annika [Sorenstam] or Lorena [Ochoa] and so many other players have done after stepping away,” Ko says.
She still has unfinished business in the meantime, though.
“For now I said my biggest goal is the career grand slam,” Ko says.
She is 60% there, having won the Women’s British Open (2024), Evian Championship (2015) and Chevron Championship (2016). All that’s left is the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open. Seven LPGA players have accomplished the career grand slam: Louise Suggs, Mickey Wright, Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster, Webb, Sorenstam and Inbee Park.
To achieve that monumental feat, Ko is working on a specific part of her game heading into the new season, which begins with her title defense this week in Orlando, Fla.
“These past couple of years I’ve been trying to hit over 70% in greens and fairways,” she says, “because especially if I hit both over that number, then I’ve just had better results throughout the week and obviously it puts less stress on the short game.”
However, whether Ko continues her Hall of Fame form, or endures another down-year, she’s content with how her career has panned out—and thankful for all the ups and downs.
“There’s been some tough times and I wonder why I’m playing this crazy sport,” Ko says “So as much as those difficult times may be hard, I think golf has been like a gift.”