It’s hard to believe that Lydia Ko was on top of the world just over a year ago. At this time last year, Ko was living what she called a “Cinderella story.” She won all the playoff awards in a comeback year that finished with a beautiful wedding in South Korea.
Now, Ko plays in the Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican event this week, which has been changed. She wants to get into the top 100 on the LPGA’s list of priorities. People in the top 100 spots on the CME list have full cards. Ko is at 101 right now.
Ko, on the other hand, isn’t like most players outside the top 100. He started the round at Pelican on Thursday with a 3-under 67. She can choose.
Ko might not be able to play in 2024 if she doesn’t finish in the top 100 on the points list this season. Winners from the current season as well as the last two seasons are in Category 4. In 2022, Ko won three times.
KOD could also use Category No. 2 in the future. This group has players who were in the top 20 on the Career Money List at the end of the previous season. This is a category that players can fight in twice during their lives. At the moment, Ko is fifth on the list of all-time money earners, with $16,919,487.
Lydia Ko wins the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, on November 20, 2022. She takes a picture with the Vare Trophy, the Rolex Player of the Year trophy, and the CME Globe trophy. (Getty Images photo by Michael Reaves))
As of late, Ko has sounded like she might be slowing down. However, the two-time Olympic winner has her sights set on Paris next summer and the LPGA Hall of Fame. At the moment, she needs 27 points to qualify, but she only has 26.
Ko has 228.571 CME points right now. At 234.273, Azahara Munoz is in 100th place. Ko won the CME Group Tour Championship last year, so she would need to finish at least 60th on the list to get in. Bianca Pagdanganan is in 60th place right now, with a score of 528.780. Ko needs to finish first or second at Pelican to have a chance. To win, he needs at least 500 points.
Picture of Lydia Ko through the years
The top 80 on the CME points from the previous year are at the top of the LPGA’s priority list, which is used to fill event teams. That’s the best it gets. Type 1 events, like the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore and the Honda LPGA Thailand, have a small group at the beginning of the year. Ko started the 2023 season at the top of the list.
This group is for players who rank 81st to 100th on the CME list.
People in Nos. 101 to 125 are in Category 16. To move up, these people might want to think about going to Q-Series later this year. Here is a list of the top 45 Q-Series winners in Categories 14 and 15. They are shown in the order in which they came in.
People who finish 126th to 150th place are in No. 19 of 20 groups. They’ll also be going back to the Q-Series and maybe the Epson Tour.
