Lydia Ko cements LPGA Hall of Fame status with stunning Olympic gold

New Zealand's golfing sensation, Lydia Ko, etched her name into the annals of sports history when she grabbed a 'once in a lifetime' to win the gold medal in the Women's Individual Stroke Play competition on day fifteen of the Games at Le Golf National in Paris on Saturday.

This victory marked a historic achievement for Ko, who completed an unprecedented Olympic trilogy. Having already claimed a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze in Tokyo 2020, Ko's triumph in Paris cements her status as one of the most successful golfers in Olympic history.

The 27-year-old’s journey to gold was a masterclass in consistency and strategy. From her opening tee shot to the final putt, she showcased the skill and composure that have defined her illustrious career.

With this victory, the 27-year-old immortalised her place in golfing history when she entered the LPGA Hall of Fame.

“Being tied for the lead going into the final round, I knew that the next 18 holes were going to be some of the most important 18 holes of my life,” Ko said.

“One of the things that I had said earlier in the week was I don't know if there is another Olympics for me, and I will say, this is my last Olympics. I think that was at the back of my mind.

“I didn't want to publicly tell anyone because I knew that being in this kind of position, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” added an emotional Ko.

“I kept telling myself, I get to write my own ending and that Simone Biles had said (that) and I had heard in her documentary. I kept telling myself that, and I wanted to be the one who was going to control my fate and the ending to this week. To have ended this way, it's honestly a dream come true.

During the final round, Ko built up a five-stroke lead over the back nine holes as her nearest challengers faded.

But she still had to hang on and played the challenging final hole – a par five with water everywhere with a one-shot lead. Ko laid up, hit a wedge to seven feet and made the birdie for a one under 71 and a two-stroke victory.

Esther Henseleit of Germany finished birdie-birdie for a 66 to take the silver and Xiyu Lin of China birdied the final hole for a 69 to clinch the bronze.

This is the latest prize in a remarkable career for Ko, who won her first LPGA title as a 15-year-old amateur and rose to No. 1 worldwide for the first time at 17. She began this year with a victory, leaving her one point short of the Hall of Fame.

Ko shot a 72-hole score of 10-under 278 on a course that presented long rough and water on 10 holes, most notably at the end when the pressure was greatest.

Ko becomes the 35th player to qualify for the Hall of Fame and the second-youngest behind Australian great Karrie Webb to earn the required 27 points — two points for each of her two majors, one point for her other 18 LPGA victories, one point for winning LPGA Player of the Year (twice) and the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average (twice).

Reflecting on the ups and downs of a professional golfer's career Ko said: “I know I'm playing the Scottish Open next week and the (AIG Women’s) Open the week after. There's still so much golf to be played this season.

“I have great days and I'm like, ‘I want to play as long as I can,’ and then I have days where I wake up with a sore low back, and I'm like, ‘I don't think I can make it anymore.

“I don't think there is a specific date, and now that I've got in the Hall of Fame, I don't know if that affects anything,” added Ko. “Golf has given me so much, and I know that my ending is sooner than when it first started.

“So, I wanted to really enjoy it, and while I am competitively playing, I want to play the best golf I can. I think this takes a little bit of weight off my shoulders,’ she concluded.

Meanwhile, Bianca Pagdanganan came narrowly close to clinching a third Paris Olympics medal for the Philippines when she finished in fourth place, marking the best result ever for a Filipino golfer at the Games.