Entering the 'Hall of Fame'... Lydia Ko, Next Is Me

Ko Jin-young, 7 Points Left with 20 Points... Jeong Yani 23 Points
Lewis 19 Points, Koda and Jutanugarn 17 Points 'Strong Contenders'

Who will be the next player to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame following 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko (New Zealand)?

Ko Jin-young

On the 13th (local time), American golf magazine Golf Digest named the players closest to entering the Hall of Fame as Yani Tseng (Taiwan, 23 points), Jin Young Ko (20 points), Stacy Lewis (19 points), Nelly Korda (all from the United States), and Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand, 17 points). To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a player must accumulate 27 points. The LPGA awards 1 point for a regular tournament win, Player of the Year award, the Vare Trophy (lowest scoring average), and Olympic gold medal. Winning a major championship earns 2 points.

Jin Young Ko has won a total of 15 LPGA Tour events, including 2 major championships. She has accumulated 17 points from wins alone. Additionally, she earned 3 points from being Player of the Year in 2019 and 2021, and winning the Vare Trophy in 2019. If she adds 7 more points, she will become the third Korean player to enter the Hall of Fame, following Se Ri Pak and Inbee Park. Ko, who once reached world No. 1, struggled with wrist and knee injuries and earned only 1 Hall of Fame point last year.

Among active players, Korda is the most likely to be inducted. She emerged as the strongest player this season with 6 LPGA Tour wins. However, injuries remain a variable. In 2020, Korda had to undergo recovery after back injuries and blood clot surgery, and in May 2023, her back injury recurred, causing her to miss a month of competition. The LPGA has previously lowered the induction threshold by revising rules in 1998 and 2022. In 1998, the points requirement was reduced from 35 to 27, and in 2022, the requirement to have played on the LPGA Tour for 10 years was removed.