Lydia Ko wins Olympic gold for New Zealand after victory in women's golf tournament
- Planet Sport writer
- 10 August 2024
New Zealand's Lydia Ko fired a final round 71 to become Olympic women's golf champion.
Ko — whose victory qualifies her for the LPGA Hall of Fame — finished on 10 under and two strokes clear of silver medallist Esther Henseleit, from Germany, with China's Lin Xiyu taking bronze three shots back.
Ko is now a three-time Olympic medalist, taking silver at the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil and bronze at the 2020 Summer Games in Japan.
On the LPGA Tour, Ko has amassed 20 LPGA Tour victories since 2012, including major titles at the 2015 Amundi Evian Championship and the 2016 Chevron Championship.
Ko has seven wins on the Ladies European Tour, five wins on the WPGA Tour of Australasia and one win on the Korean LPGA Tour.
She also partnered with Jason Day to win the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed-team unofficial event featuring PGA Tour and LPGA Tour stars, in December 2023.
She earned 18 of her titles since her rookie season in 2014, having won the 2012 and 2013 CPKC Women‘s Open as an amateur prior to becoming an LPGA Tour Member.
"Lydia's qualification into the LPGA Hall of Fame isn't just a milestone in her extraordinary career; it's a testament to her generational talent, having built an unmatched resume of success at such a young age," said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan.
"Beyond her unprecedented achievements on the golf course, Lydia has inspired so many through her perseverance, kindness, generosity, and commitment to leaving the game better than she found it.
"She is a role model to us all and particularly to young girls, to whom she has shown what a true champion is, in sport and in life.
"Cementing her place in the Hall of Fame by winning the gold medal here in Paris is iconic, and it is something we will all remember for a long time. We are immensely proud of Lydia's achievements and the impact she's made on the world of golf and in global sports."
Great Britain's Charley Hull and Georgia Hall finished tied 27th and tied 36th at Le Golf National, while Ireland pair Stephanie Meadows and Leona Maguire were 39th and 59th respectively.
