Hall of Famer Lydia Ko Towers Over World No.1 Nelly Korda Who Missed a Prestigious LPGA Tour List
Another day, another of Lydia Ko’s achievements! Time and again, the 27-year-old pro proved why she was fortunate to be one of the 35 women in the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. With 22 LPGA Tour victories, including three majors and three Olympic medals, Ko has been a dominant force on the women’s circuit. Although her 2023 season was winless, she got her revenge in the current year.
In the 2024 season, Nelly Korda might have made more headlines, but Ko was not behind either. The South Korean native won three events this year and also lifted the AIG Women’s Open trophy. Since making her professional debut in 2014, the 22-time LPGA Tour winner leads one list because of her consistent performance. The LPGA Tour reported on Instagram that in the last decade, Ko is the only one to make the most bogey-free round with 134 rounds.
The second on the list is 2-time LPGA Tour winner Lizette Salas, who is 50 rounds behind Ko as she shot 84 bogey-free rounds. Honestly, it is a stunning record, and surprisingly, Korda is not even in the top 5 on the list. What makes Ko’s record better is that she posted 134 bogey-free rounds in 900 rounds, whereas, even on the PGA Tour, after playing 867 rounds, the highest bogey-free round was 78, accomplished by Hideki Matsuyama. Indeed, Ko remains one of the best golfers of the current era, and her undefeated demeanor shows it more than ever.
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Not many events remain on the LPGA Tour season, undoubtedly, the tally of bogey-free for the Hall of Famer would only increase from this onwards. And it will be harder for Korda or anyone, for that matter, to catch up to Ko’s incredible performance. But even though the 3-time major winner precedes the world no. 1 in most bogey-free rounds, there are many things that Korda achieved that Ko could not.
Nelly Korda outranks Lydia Ko in these things
When it comes to putting Lydia Ko against Nelly Korda, many may expect that the South Korean pro may overshadow Korda, but that is not the case. Taking the current season for example, the world no. 1 has won more times (6) than any on the LPGA Tour; Ko was victorious in only three events. Although both won a major this year, Korda is still leading the world ranking and the Rolex Player of the Year award list.
The last time a golfer recorded six wins in a single season (2013), it was South Korean legend Inbee Park. Ko might have wanted to be next in line to make this record, but that too was done by Korda with her six victories. Additionally, she tied Annika Sorenstams to become the fastest player (in eight starts) since 1980 to win six times. Korda’s records in the 2024 season seem unending; she is also leading the SG Total while Ko is 4th.
So, when Ko achieved the bogey-free round feat, it wouldn’t be right to just put the world no. 1 against her and not show what he has accomplished too. Currently, Korda is recovering from a minor neck injury, which forced her to withdraw from the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea. But she will be on the greens again trying to give Ko the tough competition she always does.
