Inside the ropes, it’s hard to imagine a better season for the LPGA.
Fan favorite Lydia Ko played her way into the LPGA Hall of Fame in spectacular fashion, cementing her greatness, and an American dominated the tour for the first time in decades.
There was plenty of drama off the course as well, even after the season had ended. The sudden departure of a commissioner as well as significant changes to the LPGA’s gender policy will impact the tour for years to come.
A record 34 LPGA players made over $1 million in 2024. Five players won multiple times. It was, at last, a season for the stars.
Without further ado, here’s a look at the top 10 storylines from 2024:
It’s impossible to overstate the gravity of the moment. Few athletes get the chance to play their way into a Hall of Fame. Such decisions are usually made in boardrooms by committee and away from the court or field. But the LPGA’s points system meant that Ko could secure her spot with victory. That the triumph came at the 2024 Paris Olympics – giving her a career medal sweep of bronze, silver, and gold – was nothing short of legendary. At 27, Ko became the youngest to enter the LPGA’s Hall under the current criteria and the 35thoverall.
As if the Hall of Fame and Olympic gold weren’t enough, Ko won again two weeks later on golf’s most sacred ground. Ko became only the third woman to win the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews, joining Lorena Ochoa and Stacy Lewis. Coming down the stretch in driving rain and wind, Ko showed that Hall of Fame grit when she hit a stunning 3-wood into the Road Hole to set up a par, birdie finish that couldn’t be beat. It marked her third career major victory and the first in eight years.
The most unforgettable hole of the year came on a Thursday at the U.S. Women’s Open when Nelly Korda made a 10 on the par-3 12th. In the midst of a torrid streak in which she won six of her last seven starts, Korda’s hopes at Lancaster Country Club were over after three holes.
“Well, that was a 10/10,” Korda wrote on Instagram after missing the cut. That she could find some humor in the situation days later was a good sign, though it would take some time to get her back on track.
Just days after the conclusion of an historic 2024 season, LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan announced she was stepping down effective Jan. 9, 2025. Marcoux Samaan, the tour’s ninth commissioner, has been at the helm for nearly 3 ½ years. Her contract went through the summer of 2026.
The former Princeton athletic director was the second woman to hold the post. Carolyn Bivens was ousted by the players in July 2009.
The LPGA’s first major of the year came with some history as Korda became the first American to win five consecutive starts since Nancy Lopez in 1978. Annika Sorenstam (2004-2005) is the only other player to win five consecutive in LPGA history. On a marathon Sunday that included the finish to Round 3, Korda shot 69 to edge a hard-charging Maja Stark and win by two in Texas.
Weeks later, Korda made headlines in a stunning Oscar de la Renta gown at the annual Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Lexi Thompson headlines a long list of LPGA players who announced plans to retire from full-time competition after the 2024 season. While fan favorites Thompson and Brittany Lincicome plan to make several appearances in 2024, it’s unlikely that several others, like Ally Ewing and Amy Olson, will be back anytime soon.
Here’s a complete list of players who announced they were stepping away after 2024.
Charley Hull hates smoking. Said she only picked up the habit to stop vaping. But when the Englishwoman was caught on camera smoking a cigarette while signing autographs at the U.S. Women’s Open, the video spread like wildfire. She gained 70,000 Instagram followers that week alone and it was months before the smoke cleared.
The transportation debacle at the Solheim Cup overshadowed the start of a record-breaking week at the LPGA’s crown jewel. An unfortunate bus shortage turned into a crisis of leadership.
Inside the ropes, however, Team USA delivered a rousing victory and, led by the light-hearted skipping of Nelly Korda, had a lot of fun in the process.
Jeeno Thitikul’s eagle-birdie finish at the CME Group Tour Championship earned her the biggest payday in women’s golf history. The $4 million paycheck came on the heels of a $1 million bonus for winning the Aon Risk Reward Challenge.
Thitikul went to Disney World with friends to celebrate.
Lauren Coughlin, 32, won for the first time at the CPKC Women’s Open in her 101st LPGA start. A few weeks later, she won again at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open. It all led to a crowning moment at the Solheim Cup, where the former UVA player teed it up 65 miles from home at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
Coughlin’s 3-0-1 performance was the stuff of dreams.
Caitlin Clark stole the show early at The Annika, providing incredible buzz for the LPGA’s penultimate event. She played the front nine with Korda and the back nine with Sorenstam and engaged with fans at every turn. When the round was over, the crush of fans to get Clark’s autograph was a sight to to behold.
Let’s hope there’s more to come of Clark and the LPGA in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: LPGA: Top 10 storylines from the 2024 season include Nelly Korda
