When Will Lydia Ko Tee Up Next Amidst Intense Battle Against Nelly Korda?

Can Lydia Ko’s return shake up the LPGA Tour and challenge Nelly Korda’s dominance?

We all are surely missing the exceptional gameplay of Lydia Ko. Ko played in the BMW Ladies Championship in her native South Korea, after finishing T12 and carding her ninth top 15 of the year, but has gone MIA from the LPGA Tour’s schedule.

Since her BMW Ladies Championship, Ko has missed three events, including the latest TOTO Japan Classic. So, when will the 27-year-old tee up once again?

After this, the American Women’s Tour will travel to the Hawaiian Island at the Hoakalei Country Club in Oahu for the 2024 LOTTE Championship. Unfortunately, the Hall of Famer will not lead the field there either.

However, at the next event, the 22-time LPGA Tour winner will surely be there at the Pelican Golf Club. If you could not guess by the golf club, Ko has confirmed her berth at the fifth edition of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.

The South Korean native will be breaking her month-long hiatus then, and undoubtedly it will be an exciting event. After all, Annika Sorenstam and WNBA Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark will be playing in the pro-am together. With all the stars under one umbrella, the ANNIKA driven in 2024 will be entertaining and a memorable one.

Nelly Korda will break her hiatus at the Pelican Golf Club too after she sustained a neck injury and underwent rehab. If Ko wants to catch up to Korda, she would have without any excuse tee up at The ANNIKA driven. But can she catch up to the world no. 1?

Lydia Ko is second to Nelly Korda but still far from her

The Rolex LPGA Tour Player of the Year race is only getting more intense as the day passes. This year, Nelly Korda stunned everyone as she won six events in a single season including the Chevron Championship. But Lydia Ko was no less either. The Kiwi national won three LPGA Tour events and won her third major at the AIG Women’s Open. Moreover, she was also the gold medalist at the 2024 Summer Olympics and was inducted into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame.

Phew, that’s many accolades one could attain in a single season but Korda and Ko accomplished that. However, The former is still way ahead of her counterpart on the POY rankings.

Courtesy of her six wins, she has 244 points, whereas, Ko has only 144 points, a 100 points deficit. Even if the 22-time LPGA Tour winner somehow emerges victorious at the ANNIKA driven, she won’t be able to defeat Korda as only 30 Player of the Year points are awarded to the winner.

So, now, the 2024 Rolex LPGA Tour Player of the Year Award is locked up for Korda and no one else can take it away. However, a win is still a win and Lydia Ko would probably want to win more as only the last two events remain for the 2024 season; after all, who wouldn’t want to end their season with a victory?