Lydia Ko Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings, Endorsements, and More

At 14, Ko became the youngest player to win a professional golf tour event. At 17, she became the youngest player to reach world No. 1. Former LPGA commissioner Mike Whan even waived the tour’s minimum age requirement of 18 so Ko could compete, saying:

“It is not often that the LPGA welcomes a rookie who is already a back-to-back LPGA Tour champion.”

Whan’s decision allowed her to begin her LPGA career earlier than most players, showcasing how rare her rise in professional golf was.

In 2014, Ko won the LPGA Rookie of the Year award. She earned roughly $2.1 million that season, the highest earnings ever by a rookie at the time. That same year, at just 17 years old, she won about $1.5 million, which was the biggest single prize in LPGA history at that time.

In 2016, she signed an equipment sponsorship deal with PXG.

She won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Ko earned the LPGA Player of the Year title in 2015 and 2022.

Lydia Ko’s Olympic Medals and Record-Breaking Achievements

She finished on the Olympic podium in two straight Games.

Ko set multiple age-related records during her rise, becoming the youngest player to win on a professional tour, the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour, and to reach 10 victories on a major tour.

She won three consecutive Mark H. McCormack Medals from 2011 to 2013 and the Halberg Supreme Award in 2013. She was named New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

In 2019, Ko received the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit honor. She also won the LPGA Vare Trophy in 2021 and 2022 and received three ESPY Award nominations.

Ko is currently competing at the Kroger Queen City Championship and is scheduled to play at the ShopRite LPGA Classic beginning May 29. One of her biggest goals this season is to complete the career Grand Slam.