By: Max Bechtoldt
Though January 2024 only saw had two tournaments played, it was still an exciting kickoff to the new season.
The major storyline already developing is star players reintroducing themselves after 2023 struggles. Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda are the first two champions of the season, each of them winning their first event since late November 2022.
At the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Ko overcame a record-setting start by Ayaka Furue to come within one point of the LPGA Hall of Fame. Ko was consistent all week, never shooting worse than -2 in route to a two-stroke victory over Alexa Pano.
At the Drive On Championship the next week, we saw the early favorite for the tournament of the year. With the co-lead on 17, Lydia Ko hit at the time the shot of the year on the LPGA with her approach to set up eagle. Nelly Korda was forced to finish eagle-birdie to force a playoff. After an eagle on 17, she came up with magic on 18.
In the playoff, each player showed off some elite short game skill, getting to two extra holes. On the second, Lydia’s momentum wore off, and she had a brutal three putt to hand Korda the win.
While the three-putt is hard to shake off, Ko was undoubtedly the story of the month. After a 2023 filled with struggles, she performed wonderfully in both of the season-opening events and already looks like a sure thing to qualify for the CME finals.
