Lydia Ko wraps up Vare Trophy for low scoring average, inches closer to LPGA Hall of Fame

Lydia Ko was desperate to end her 2021 season on a high note.

After a disappointing third round in which she hit shots “maybe even a 20-handicapper wouldn’t even hit,” Ko posted a closing 8-under 64 at the CME Group Tour Championship to leave 2021 with a smile and a new trophy.

For the first time in her career, Ko won the Vare Trophy, given to the player with the year’s lowest scoring average. Technically, Nelly Korda had the lowest average on tour at 68.774. But neither Korda nor Jin Young Ko, who averaged 68.866, met the minimum number of rounds needed (70) to be eligible for the Vare. Korda finished the season with 62 rounds and 17 official events and Ko finished with 67 rounds and 19 events.

Ko had the third-lowest average of 69.329, and met the round requirement with 73.

“It’s really special because obviously it sums up the whole season,” she said. “All the other things do, too, but at the end of the day golf is about how consistently well you can play and what kind of low score you can shoot.

“And the Vare Trophy obviously exemplifies that.”

Ko, 24, almost missed out on the award, too. She had originally planned to skip last week’s Pelican Women’s Championship after playing in Saudi Arabia on the LET, but after learning that she’d be one round short for the Vare, she signed back up.

Ko now has 20 of the 27 points needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

The Kiwi called 2021 one of the most consistent years of her career, and credited the sixth-month forced break during the 2020 season as some of the most important time in her career.

“Having that six months I think I was able to really assess where I was at,” she said, “and that was not only in the technical standpoint, but where I was mentally as well.”

Ko ended a three-year victory drought in April at the Lotte Championship to play her way into the 2022 season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona, Florida, which happens to be her home club.

To prepare for that start, Ko said she’ll take a new approach to this offseason, staying in the U.S. rather than South Korea and taking shorter periods of time off.

“I normally take a whole month or four weeks off where don’t touch the clubs,” she said. “They stay in the closet. This year I’m going to take a week off during Thanksgiving and then practice for a couple weeks, and then have another holiday for 10 days and then come back and practice for another three weeks.

“I haven’t played the Tournament of Champions in a while, so I just planned my off-season a little bit differently this year.”