Kiwi golfer Lydia Ko primed for richest tournament in women’s golf history
If last year taught Lydia Ko one thing, it was don’t take anything for granted.
No wonder, then, she was full of beans when she fronted media ahead of the CME Globe Championship in Florida this week, even holding her dog, Kai, to start her press conference.
As she made clear, it felt good to be back at the Tiburon Golf Club for the US$11 million ($NZ18.6 million) season-ender, a year after her season flamed out and shockingly failed to qualify for the tournament she won the previous year.
“I think before not making it into this event last year
I think I took it for granted that, you know what, I always finish the season at the CME Tour Championship,” Ko said.
“Last year was like, hey you know what, the level of competition is so much higher, and I literally need to work my butt off to make sure that I am qualified and playing here. I think my mindset is a bit different, just because….it’s not automatic entry into this event just because you won the year before.”
Much has changed in the past year, and not just the prize money, which has doubled from US$2 million to US$4 million for the tournament winner since Ko capped a remarkable 2022 by taking it out.
Ko, who also won the the season finale in 2014,
Ko, who also won the the season finale in 2014, qualified third in the 60-strong field for the richest tournament in women’s golf history, behind only American Nelly Korda and South Korean Haeran Ryu.
Kiwi Lydia Ko poses with the Vare Trophy, the Rolex Player of the Year trophy and the CME Globe trophy after winning the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 20, 2022 in Naples, Florida.
This time last year, fresh from finishing a lowly 100th in the CME points list, a gutted Ko was pointing to the pressure of qualifying for the Hall of Fame – she was two points short of the 27 required – for her dismal season.
Now, she’s got four more career wins to her name, including an overdue major triumph, and that famous victory in Paris to complete the full set of Olympic medals, ensuring she will be the 35th player enshrined into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Life is good for Ko, whose perseverance earned her the 2024 Heather Farr Perseverance Award.
I’ve had my ups and downs during my career
“I’ve had my ups and downs during my career, some of the best golf I’ve played, and then struggled for five or six years, and then become player of the year again seven years later,“ Ko reflected.
“In a way, I wish I had a more consistent career, but I am still so grateful for all of these experiences. The losses and the wins.”
Ko spoke to media for more than 20 minutes ahead of her penultimate event of the year – she and Australian Jason Day will defend their Grant Thornton Invitational title next month – mostly reflecting on her wild season and, perhaps surprisingly, not once being asked about retirement.
Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, poses for the cameras with her gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August.
Her dog, who she and husband Chung Jun adopted while in New York this year, sat on her lap for four minutes before losing interest.
But Ko continued, pointing out the turning point was her top-10 finish at the Canadian Open in July, after she had gone four months without one, a stretch which included two missed cuts.
“When you get out of the flow, it’s really hard to get back into it…The Canadian Open, leading up to it, I did a lot of good work with my coaches and I just felt like my ball striking was a lot better, and I was seeing the shot shapes
I wanted to see, and it’s a fade for me in most cases.
“I just felt a lot more comfortable being out there, aiming left and just knowing the ball was going to come back right.”
It lit a fuse under her season, as Ko won three tournaments in four starts, including her famous win at Le Golf National, and the Women’s Open, her first major title in eight years.
As Ko said, the weight is off her shoulders and she’s in a better state of mind as she approaches the end of what could be one of the last few seasons of her career.
“I know I am on the second chapter, past the halfway point. So, I am just excited for what’s ahead and just to say I am a Hall of Famer in the sport and the job that I do, not everyone gets to say that.”
