Lydia Ko enters this week’s U.S. Women’s Open with a chance to eclipse Annika Sorenstam as the biggest money-winner in women’s golf. New Zealand’s Ko, however, doesn’t believe the comparisons are fair.
“We’re playing in a very different generation right now,” Ko, 29, told reporters during Tuesday’s press conference at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., the site of this year’s Open that begins Thursday.
“It’s cool to be, I guess, compared to that record and hopefully surpass it at some point,” Ko said, “but it’s like very hard to kind of like compare it because we are playing for a lot more money than she did back in that day.”
Ko’s $21.8 million in earnings is second to Sorenstam’s $22.5 million. Ko has 23 career wins on the LPGA Tour while Sweden’s Sorenstam had 72 from 1995-2008, third all-time behind Americans Kathy Whitworth (88 from 1962-85) and Mickey Wright (82 from 1956-73).
“For me, like the win count is probably a little bit more meaningful,” said Ko, who has three major titles. “Not that the money isn’t meaningful. Obviously, we’re very grateful that we get to play for a lot more money… I just feel like I’m like an ant and (Sorenstam) is — I don’t know what the biggest bug or living thing is, but she’s that.
“So, it’s kind of hard to compare that just because we’re playing for so much more now. Hopefully in years time, they play for so much more than what we do.”
Riviera Country Club is the site for the men’s and women’s golf competitions when Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympics in 2028. Ko represented New Zealand in three Olympics, taking home gold (Paris 2024), silver (Rio 2016) and bronze (Tokyo 2021, postponed from 2020).
But she has no plans to play in another.
“The only thing that I would be like very excited for is because they’re adding the mixed team component. I love team play,” Ko said. “That will be the only thing that I’m very jealous that I’m not a part of. Who knows? I could be a part of it in a different place rather than just competing, and I do take pride in competing for New Zealand at the Olympics, and I really hope that I can be a part of it somehow in some shape or form. But, no. Three Olympics, and that stress was enough.”
