Golf: Lydia Ko on verge of another $1m bonus

Lydia Ko could win a $1m bonus for a second straight year. Photo / Getty

Lydia Ko will be looking to make more history this weekend as she bids to become the youngest LPGA Player of the Year.

The world No 1 is also in with a shot at winning the Race to the CME Globe - the $1 million bonus for being the top money earner for the year.

Ko has been setting myriad records in her short golfing career, including becoming the youngest Rolex world No 1 back in February and the youngest woman in history to win a major at the Evian Championship in September.

Ko leads world No 2 Inbee Park by three points in the Rolex Player of the Year race. A victory is worth 30 points, with second worth 12 and third worth nine. Points are awarded down to a single point for 10th.

When asked about the scenario, the 18-year-old answered with her usual naivety and a big smile.

"I don't even know how those points systems work, to be honest," said Ko. "I heard last week on TV that the winner gets 30 points. I was like, 'oh, sweet'. I didn't know how it all works. Too many numbers, and I'm not very good at mathematics, either.

"But, no, even if I looked at it, I would have no idea what I need to do or what somebody needs to do, so there's really no point. If it's 33 or 23, it still would just be odd numbers to me."

At 27 and in her ninth year on the tour, Park is seeking to win her second Player of the Year award. It is no secret she will be going head-to-head with Ko after an impressive win last week at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Park also claimed the award in 2013, when she won the first three majors of the year. She has to finish at least eighth this week to have a shot at the award. If she finishes eighth and Ko doesn't record a top-10 finish, they'll be tied at the top.

In the battle for the title of highest money earner, Ko currently tops the list with $2,758,417 - Park is second with $2,570,096. The first-placed cheque on Sunday is an extra $500,000.

In 2014, Ko finished the year in style, winning the season finale and also the inaugural Race to the CME Globe with the $1 million bonus to boot. The $1.5 million payout for the purse and bonus was the single-largest payout in the history of women's golf.
Ko, Park and Stacy Lewis are at the top of the money earning points ladder and are contenders for the $1 million jackpot if they win the CME Group Tour Championship.