Howdy Gold Medallist and latest member of the LPGA Corridor of Fame, Lydia Ko. Lydia, congratulations once more. Simply has all of it sort of sunk in, the whole lot from final week?
I truly don’t know if it has sunk in but. I didn’t sleep Saturday night time simply due to journey logistics and all that. So I went to sleep for the primary time on Sunday night time. It was fairly surreal. I awakened, like, was {that a} dream? Did that simply actually occur?
Tremendous thrilling. I’ve gotten an amazing quantity of assist from the gamers and the folks that I do know, and simply very grateful for actually this once-in-a-lifetime alternative.
You simply talked about you’ve gotten quite a lot of assist from the gamers and others round you. What has been probably the most impactful message that you simply’ve gotten from somebody after engaging in what you’ve achieved?
You recognize, quite a lot of the women which can be already within the Corridor of Fame reached out, and particularly someone like Nancy Lopez, each time I see her, she offers me good vibes. You recognize, at all times phrases of knowledge, and for someone like her to love take me underneath her profitable and assist me means rather a lot.
There’s been simply so many individuals, like Meg and Beth stated that they had like cried watching me. It means rather a lot. I’ve seen a few of my good mates right here, as properly. It’s fairly surreal. I used to be speaking to one of many mothers yesterday and practically introduced tears to my eyes once more.
I believe as a participant and like someone that’s concerned, everyone knows how onerous it’s. So like we’re all occurring this journey collectively, and so lots of the folks that I play alongside, and to see them assist me like this, it means rather a lot, and I believe that’s probably the most, I suppose grateful factor of all of this.
Simply, you recognize, how does it really feel to have “Corridor of Famer” subsequent to your — a part of your title now, and what does the Corridor of Fame specifically imply to you?
It’s tremendous cool. Molly gave me the warmest welcome to the Corridor of Fame on that Saturday. I believe I’ve stated a number of instances earlier than, I didn’t actually assume I used to be able to getting in any form of Corridor of Fame, and to say that I’ve gotten within the Corridor of Fame at my sport in one thing that’s given me a lot is surreal.
I do know all the women and legends which can be like within the Corridor of Fame, they’re it the greats, they usually led this pathway for us to have this sort of alternative. To say that I’m a part of that sort of historical past guide is de facto cool, and yeah, I believe I nearly want like just a few weeks off to love actually take the whole lot in, all of this.
Are you able to inform us the place the Gold Medal has been more often than not the final couple of days?
LYDIA KO: It’s been in my backpack. I haven’t gone within the case but. So I haven’t been capable of absolutely treasure it very properly. However it’s proper there now.
It’s good to have the ability to take a look at that, after which it’s actual will, isn’t it, while you take a look at that?
I haven’t truly checked out it in a few days. After I was flying with it, it was bizarre to sort of take it out as a result of not everyone is aware of that I’m an athlete nor an Olympian or that I had gained a medal. So it’s sort of awkward at instances. I like don’t actually wish to — like I don’t really feel prefer it’s bragging however I’ve to.
It’s simply, yeah, I haven’t seen it. Like we took it out this morning to carry it out right here. However yeah, I haven’t seen my Rio or Tokyo Olympic Medals because the day I acquired it, both. Now that I’ve three, I believe I have to discover a good place to putt all of them collectively.
On the again of final week, might need been tempting to present this week a miss. How vital is that this week going into subsequent week for you? You’ve at all times loved enjoying in Scotland.
I believe it simply sort of made sense that having the British Open in Scotland, to play the week once more prior in Scotland. I believe earlier than the Olympics, I had joked, Oh, if I had gained the Gold Medal, I’ll most likely not play the week after.
However I used to be speaking to my crew and I simply needed to sort of follow my schedule, and I believe it’s a great factor, particularly sort of enjoying into one thing as large as The Open. We don’t have probably the most stunning day as we speak however I really feel prefer it’s like a welcome to Scotland sort of a factor.
However I at all times get pleasure from enjoying hyperlinks, and we don’t actually get to play these kind of golf programs very a lot within the yr.
It’s a extremely good preparation for subsequent week. Yeah, I believe I’d fairly play and sort of — whether or not it’s good or unhealthy this week, to only be on that momentum of competitively enjoying, and I do know I get a great three weeks off after The Open. So I’m excited to have one other enjoyable couple weeks right here.
You’ve achieved a lot in your profession. You’ve not gained in Scotland. How large a aim is that for you going ahead to tick that one off?
I haven’t personally performed that properly at an Open Championship very a lot. Solely like two, 3 times across the Tenth-ish I’m I performed the British Open.
Yeah, I might love to love be in rivalry, and I believe enjoying this week will get me extra accustomed to this type of golf. You recognize, I believe folks — certainly one of my coaches have been asking me, oh, then what’s your aim now, even when it’s a small aim?
I stated it might be actually, actually cool to win a serious championship earlier than I’m achieved competitively enjoying.
I don’t precisely know when that point is however I believe it’s good to have one other aim, and that’s undoubtedly a aim of mine.
I imply if it occurs subsequent week, I imply, I’d be fairly shocked to say, particularly as a result of it’s like two of the largest occasions in my season.
I don’t know like if or when the chance goes to return however I might like to be extra in rivalry and sort of get pleasure from being in that sort of a scenario.
Discuss enjoying in Scotland there. How do you go about adjusting enjoying your sport in circumstances which can be clearly not so beneficial this week? Is there something specifically you do in another way?
Final week was truly fairly like agency, windy on just a few days, so in a methods, it did really feel like hyperlinks. That golf course, Le Golf Nationwide, is a championship golf course anyway that’s held a number of large occasions like The French Open and Ryder Cup. In some methods, it’s related.
Solely even bin the hyperlinks course, they’re all totally different. Like Dundonald Hyperlinks is a really totally different golf course to St Andrews, and I believe it’s a part of our job to rapidly alter to the way it’s enjoying.
You recognize, it’s a little bit softer for this time of the yr and what it could possibly be round right here simply due to the rain that they have in.
You recognize, it’s about adjusting and getting used to it as fast as attainable. I performed 9 holes yesterday, and I’m planning to play 9 this afternoon.
Hopefully that may give me a good suggestion on the right way to strategy the golf course, and yeah, sort of discover my approach round to shoot the most effective rating I can.
You touched on subsequent week there, as properly, for the AIG. How particular is that going to be enjoying on the Previous Course? Not someplace that we see girls’s majors going to rather a lot. How particular is that going to be?
Final time I used to be there was in 2013 or one thing. I performed it as an novice when Stacy gained. It’s the primary time the ladies are returning since then.
I’m excited to return to a golf course that I performed at. I stated it’s additionally bizarre as a result of all the majors this yr, even those that rotate, they’re all programs I’ve been to over these previous 12, 13 years. I really feel prefer it’s displaying my age a bit of bit returning to those golf programs in over like ten years.
However I’m excited to go there. Clearly there’s quite a lot of historical past there. The lads have performed there a pair instances since we’ve final gone.
So yeah, it’s thrilling and I’m going to have my husband and my sister and my mother and my sister’s husband there.
It’s nice as a result of it’ll most likely be my final time enjoying the British Open at St Andrews. I’m excited that we will all get pleasure from it collectively.
You’ve been inspiring folks because you truly began enjoying golf since a youngster, however profitable the Olympics, what do you are feeling that’s going to do? Do you assume that’s the largest factor that you simply’ve ever achieved when it comes to inspiring a brand new technology maybe?
I believe golf returned to the Olympics in 2016 in over 100 years, and we had some uncommon circumstances with Zika and COVID prior to now two Video games, and this one is sort of the primary one earlier than it’s again to regular.
We had 30,000 followers yearly, and I believe it was really a celebration of sport and at last golf was absolutely built-in into the Video games.
So I do hope that many extra juniors get impressed, not solely on my own however by seeing the video games and get the dream of them hoping to develop into an Olympian and signify their nation in the future.
And enjoying within the Olympics and representing New Zealand was one of many largest honours of my life. I believe it’s undoubtedly an enormous dream that I believe many juniors, not golfers, however in different sports activities, ought to dream of turning into as a result of if I can do it, they will do it, too, for certain.
Have you ever set a date for while you retire? Have you ever acquired a aim in thoughts for while you end in golf?
I at all times stated 30 however I stated 30 like ten years in the past, and I don’t even know why I stated 30 at that time.
I’ve unhealthy days and good days, and unhealthy days, I wish to give up that day. And good days, you are feeling like you possibly can go and do that endlessly and it seems like that second goes to final endlessly.
I personally don’t know when the ending level is however I clearly have set one other aim for myself so I’m not identical to cluelessly enjoying on tour.
You recognize, even when I used to be to cease as we speak, I’m clearly very grateful for the whole lot that has occurred in my profession to date, however I haven’t actually set an finish date but.
However it’s one thing that I have to assume rather a lot about, and it’s undoubtedly not simply an in a single day thought, I suppose, yeah.
I do know you’ve not set a particular date as such on while you assume you’ll name time on enjoying. Is there a risk this could possibly be your final Girls’s Scottish Open and even Open subsequent week?
Most likely not The Open. I might — I sort of wish to get by this yr first after which assess. However this yr will most likely not be, like, my final aggressive yr.
