Otsapa Victory
Korda Takes the Crown, But Ko’s Stunning Response Steals the Spotlight ” first to agree Korda is …
The case for LPGA Tour player of the year could be compelling if it were decided by a vote of the players instead of a points system.
As it stands, Nelly Korda has virtually locked up the award for the first time. Lydia Ko would have to win four more tournaments the rest of the season, and she is playing in only two of them. Two other players, Ayaka Furue and Haeran Ryu, would have to win out.
Korda winning would not elicit much of a debate. Her six victories this year include a major at The Chevron Championship, and she tied an LPGA record by winning five in a row that brought much-needed attention to the LPGA.
Ko has won four times this year, including the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews. The LPGA remarkably counts only three wins toward the points-based award. Left out is that shiny gold medal at the Olympics.
How would the players vote?
The benefit of using points is eliminating subjectivity. The PGA Tour uses a player vote, and it was surprising last year when Scottie Scheffler with his two wins captured the award over Jon Rahm, whose four wins included the Masters.
Scheffler’s consistency — the best statistical season since peak Tiger Woods — was a big factor. Unknown was whether Rahm lost votes by defecting to LIV Golf in the middle of the voting.
Ko might be the first to agree Korda is deserving of the award. It’s also likely the Kiwi wouldn’t trade her season. Golf is about trophies, and it’s also about moments. Ko had some big ones.
Her gold medal in Paris, which followed a bronze in Tokyo and a silver in Rio de Janeiro, made her eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame. Winning another major was big, but winning at St. Andrews is next level.
The Golf Writers Association of America will decide at year’s end through a vote.
