Hi there Gold Medallist and latest member of the LPGA Corridor of Fame, Lydia Ko. Lydia, congratulations once more. Simply has all of it type of sunk in, all the pieces from final week?
I truly don’t know if it has sunk in but. I didn’t sleep Saturday evening simply due to journey logistics and all that. So I went to sleep for the primary time on Sunday evening. It was fairly surreal. I awoke, 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 people who 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 essentially the most impactful message that you just’ve gotten from somebody after engaging in what you’ve carried out?
You recognize, quite a lot of the women which are already within the Corridor of Fame reached out, and particularly anyone like Nancy Lopez, each time I see her, she provides me good vibes. You recognize, all the time phrases of knowledge, and for anyone like her to love take me underneath her profitable and assist me means loads.
There’s been simply so many individuals, like Meg and Beth mentioned that they had like cried watching me. It means loads. I’ve seen a few of my good associates right here, as properly. It’s fairly surreal. I used to be speaking to one of many mothers yesterday and almost introduced tears to my eyes once more.
I believe as a participant and like anyone that’s concerned, everyone knows how laborious it’s. So like we’re all occurring this journey collectively, and so lots of the people who I play alongside, and to see them assist me like this, it means loads, and I believe that’s essentially the most, I suppose grateful factor of all of this.
Simply, , 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 mentioned a number of instances earlier than, I didn’t actually suppose I used to be able to getting in any kind 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 are like within the Corridor of Fame, they’re it the greats, and so they led this pathway for us to have this sort of alternative. To say that I’m a part of that type of historical past e-book is basically cool, and yeah, I believe I nearly want like just a few weeks off to love actually take all the pieces 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 in a position to absolutely treasure it very properly. However it’s proper there now.
It’s good to have the ability to have a look at that, after which it’s actual will, isn’t it, whenever you have 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 type 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 type 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 deliver it out right here. However yeah, I haven’t seen my Rio or Tokyo Olympic Medals because the day I bought it, both. Now that I’ve three, I believe I must discover a good place to putt all of them collectively.
On the again of final week, might need been tempting to offer this week a miss. How essential is that this week going into subsequent week for you? You’ve all the time loved enjoying in Scotland.
I believe it simply type 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 in all probability not play the week after.
However I used to be speaking to my workforce and I simply needed to type of stick with my schedule, and I believe it’s a very good factor, particularly type of enjoying into one thing as massive as The Open. We don’t have essentially the most lovely day in the present day however I really feel prefer it’s like a welcome to Scotland type of a factor.
However I all the time take pleasure in enjoying hyperlinks, and we don’t actually get to play these kind of golf programs very a lot within the 12 months.
It’s a extremely good preparation for subsequent week. Yeah, I believe I’d slightly play and type of — whether or not it’s good or dangerous this week, to only be on that momentum of competitively enjoying, and I do know I get a very good 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 massive a purpose 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’d love to love be in rivalry, and I believe enjoying this week will get me extra accustomed to this fashion of golf. You recognize, I believe individuals — considered one of my coaches had been asking me, oh, then what’s your purpose now, even when it’s a small purpose?
I mentioned it might be actually, actually cool to win a serious championship earlier than I’m carried out competitively enjoying.
I don’t precisely know when that point is however I believe it’s good to have one other purpose, and that’s positively a purpose 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 most important occasions in my season.
I don’t know like if or when the chance goes to return however I’d like to be extra in rivalry and type of take pleasure in being in that type of a scenario.
Speak about enjoying in Scotland there. How do you go about adjusting enjoying your sport in circumstances which are clearly not so beneficial this week? Is there something specifically you do otherwise?
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 massive 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 shortly modify to the way it’s enjoying.
You recognize, it’s a little bit softer for this time of the 12 months and what it might be round right here simply due to the rain that they’ve in.
You recognize, it’s about adjusting and getting used to it as fast as doable. I performed 9 holes yesterday, and I’m planning to play 9 this afternoon.
Hopefully that can give me a good suggestion on the right way to method the golf course, and yeah, type 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 ladies’s majors going to loads. 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 newbie 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 mentioned it’s additionally bizarre as a result of all the majors this 12 months, 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 little bit 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 boys 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 should in all probability be my final time enjoying the British Open at St Andrews. I’m excited that we are able to all take pleasure in it collectively.
You’ve been inspiring individuals because you truly began enjoying golf since an adolescent, however profitable the Olympics, what do you’re feeling that’s going to do? Do you suppose that’s the most important factor that you just’ve ever carried out when it comes to inspiring a brand new era maybe?
I believe golf returned to the Olympics in 2016 in over 100 years, and we had some uncommon circumstances with Zika and COVID previously two Video games, and this one is type of the primary one earlier than it’s again to regular.
We had 30,000 followers yearly, and I believe it was actually 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 grow to be an Olympian and characterize their nation in the future.
And enjoying within the Olympics and representing New Zealand was one of many greatest honours of my life. I believe it’s positively 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’ll do it, too, for certain.
Have you ever set a date for whenever you retire? Have you ever bought a purpose in thoughts for whenever you end in golf?
I all the time mentioned 30 however I mentioned 30 like ten years in the past, and I don’t even know why I mentioned 30 at that time.
I’ve dangerous days and good days, and dangerous days, I wish to stop that day. And good days, you’re feeling like you possibly can go and do that endlessly and it appears like that second goes to final endlessly.
I personally don’t know when the ending level is however I clearly have set one other purpose for myself so I’m not identical to cluelessly enjoying on tour.
You recognize, even when I used to be to cease in the present day, I’m clearly very grateful for all the pieces 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 must suppose loads about, and it’s positively not simply an in a single day thought, I suppose, yeah.
I do know you’ve not set a particular date as such on whenever you suppose you will name time on enjoying. Is there a risk this might be your final Ladies’s Scottish Open and even Open subsequent week?
In all probability not The Open. I’d — I type of wish to get by means of this 12 months first after which assess. However this 12 months will in all probability not be, like, my final aggressive 12 months.
