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New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko has started 2024 the right way, winning the opening LPGA Tour event at the HGV Tournament of Champions in Orlando and in doing so bagging a massive paycheck.

Ko, who was winless on the LPGA Tour in 2023, captured her 20th career victory on the tour, becoming the 15th player in history to reach the milestone. The US$225,000 (NZ$367,000) first-place prize money takes her career earnings past the US$17 million mark (NZ$27.75m) and makes her just the fifth LPGA player to achieve that milestone.

After three LPGA wins in 2022, she was winless on the LPGA Tour last year but still added to her ever-expanding trophy cabinet with victories at the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International along with the Grant Thornton Invitational with Australian Jason Day last month.

“I think the finish that I had last year, not only winning Grant Thornton but I played really well in Korea and in Malaysia. Maybe if I had found the keys that I found then a little earlier, maybe I could have had a better season,” Ko said after she won.

“I think if you keep going down a spiral of thinking like what if, it’s endless. I worked hard in the two weeks leading up to this event. To win at home has been nice.”

“There were definitely nerves, but a little less just because it is my home course. To see so many of the members come out and clap and cheer me on, I think that was the best part of this week.”

It’s her 28th victory since turning professional in 2012 and marks the 10th year the Kiwi has recorded at least one win. Ko could only manage two top-10 finishes in 20 LPGA tournaments last year, failing to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship for the first time in her LPGA career.

The win gives Ko an additional point towards LPGA Hall of Fame induction, which makes her one short of the 27-point threshold necessary to be enshrined.

Ko’s reliable driver this week was the biggest change from last year. She was 156th in driving accuracy in 2023 but hit 75 per cent of the fairways at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club this week.

“I won last year my first event and kind of went sideways very quickly, so to not get too cocky. I’m playing next week in Bradenton and that’s a new golf course for me. I’m excited to go out there.

“It’s a short turnover, but maybe I can take all the goods from this week and take it to next week. Florida has been great to me so hopefully another good week next week.”

Between August 2022 and August 2023, Ko had won a whisker short of $5m, highlighted by that massive win in November. She ranked eighth on the Herald’s sporting rich list last year.

Other notable earnings last year included winning about $500,000 at the BMW Ladies Championship in October for her first-place finish and $188,500 for third at the Ascendant LPGA Benefitting Volunteers of America tournament in September.

As of August 14 last year, she was ranked No 5 in the world, with year-to-date earnings of less than $330,000.

Ko’s biggest money-earner of the year came after finishing tied for 33rd at the US Women’s Open, collecting about $84,000, but it’s still been a fruitful decade since she turned professional after 130 weeks as the highest-ranked female amateur golfer.

Lydia Ko net worth: Per Celebrity Net Worth, she has a net worth of $25 million

Lydia Ko ranking: 12

Lydia Ko career wins: 20