NAPLES, Fla. – Lydia Ko humbly held the door open for a handful of media types who were heading inside at Tiburon Golf Club for her pre-tournament news conference. That World No. 1 ranking and major title haven’t changed the 18-year-old New Zealander. Neither has money. When asked about the impact of last year’s $1.5 million payday here at the LPGA season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, Ko joked that the security at last year’s event was more for the box of cash than the players.
“Last year it was much better than I would have ever expected,” Ko said of her rookie season.