The Loop
Lydia Ko pledges this week's earnings to Nepal earthquake relief because Lydia Ko is awesome
As if we needed another reason to root for Lydia Ko, the LPGA Tour phenom provided one on Wednesday.
Nepal was devastated by Saturday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks, which have left thousands dead and even more in need of aid. One of the country's only golf courses has been transformed into a refugee camp, but there's so much more help needed. Ko, who turned 18 on Friday, is playing in the North Texas Shootout this week after earning $300,000 for her victory at the Swinging Skirts Classic on Sunday.
Ko is not the first golfer to pledge his/her earnings to provide help for dealing with a natural disaster. In 2011, Ryo Ishikawa gave away his entire season's earnings -- plus an additional $1,200 for each birdie he made -- for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan.
There have been plenty of generous other golfers, but Ko is the first to step up this week. Hopefully, some of the guys in the field at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play -- which has a whopping $9.25 million purse -- will follow her lead.