Lydia Ko mentioned after securing Olympic gold that she needed to win another main in her glittering profession, with that aim accomplished on the first time of asking to finish a ‘Cinderella’ summer time.
Ko grew to become the primary golfer in historical past to earn all three Olympic medals in golf after following a silver on the 2016 Video games in Rio and bronze in Tokyo with a two-shot win in Paris, with the victory additionally qualifying her as the latest inductee into the LPGA Corridor of Fame.
The New Zealander warned the next week on the ISPS Handa Ladies’s Scottish Open about her disappointing AIG Ladies’s Open document, solely to tear up the historical past books within the remaining girls’s main of the 12 months and finish her eight-year look forward to an elusive third main title.
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Lilia Vu missed a putt to pressure a play-off with Ko at The AIG Ladies’s Open, securing the New Zealander victory
Ko overturned a three-stroke deficit on the ultimate day to say a two-shot victory at St Andrews and spark emotional celebrations for her and her husband, with victory on the Residence of Golf capping off probably the most magical month of her {golfing} life.
“It’s been a crazy past few weeks,” Ko mentioned after her win on the Previous Course. “One thing that was too good to be true occurred and I actually did not suppose it could possibly be any higher.
“Obviously that being here at the Old Course at St Andrews, it makes it so much more special. I just got to realise what a historic and special place this golf course is, and it’s honestly been such a fairy tale. I’m on cloud nine, really.”
Ko received the Evian Championship as an 18-year-old in 2015 and added the Chevron Championship a 12 months later to turn out to be the youngest golfer to say two girls’s majors, though was unable so as to add to that tally till holding off Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Jiyai Shin to prevail in Scotland.
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Highlights from Nelly Korda’s remaining spherical at St Andrews, the place she squandered the lead over the closing holes to overlook out to Ko
“I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs between 2015, 2016 to 2024,” Ko added. “A lot of things have happened. When things are going well, it’s kind of hard to think about when you’re not playing well because all you’re really doing is just enjoying that moment.
“Alternatively, when issues aren’t going properly, you’re feeling such as you’re by no means going to get out of that lull. I have been in each of these positions. We’re all making an attempt to peak on the 5 majors however it’s arduous to type of time that; and the way do you time that? You are simply ready for that second.”
Ko began her 12 months of resurgence with victory on the season-opening Hilton Grand Holidays Event of Champions, certainly one of three top-four finishes in her first 4 occasions, though struggled within the majors all through 2024 earlier than her St Andrews victory.
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The most effective of the motion from Ko’s three-under 69 on the ultimate day at St Andrews, the place she registered her third main title
“I had the most Cinderella-like story the past few weeks,” Ko defined. “Of all the major championships, this one I’ve had the least amount of confidence, because I’ve had the least amount of experience on links and the results haven’t followed either. I can’t believe it.”
Too early for Ko to retire?
Ko confronted questions on potential retirement on the finish of the season after her Olympics win, having beforehand spoken about her future, with the Sky Sports activities Golf crew providing blended views on what she could wish to do subsequent.
“She has always said that she wanted to retire by the age of 30 and didn’t want to play golf forever,” Alison Whitaker informed the Sky Sports activities Golf podcast. “She has been in the spotlight longer than almost 90 per cent of the field.
“I believe she modified the sport by telling us what we might perhaps count on from somebody within the subsequent era, definitely within the final couple of a long time. To return via and win on the LPGA Tour as an novice was unbelievable and what she has added is equally unbelievable.
“It’s going to be a bookended career of fairy tales. She has had a little bit of everything you can imagine in it, if you think up the stories. She has won back-to-back, she has won three majors, she had the droughts, the highs and lows – it’s almost a six-novel series all written into one piece.”
Ko is again inside the highest three within the Rolex Ladies’s World Golf Rankings and third on the LPGA Tour’s Race to CME Globe standings, with four-time main winner Dame Laura Davies questioning why she would name time on her profession at this stage.
“Winning is everything in professional sport,” Davies mentioned on Sky Sports activities after Ko’s win. “If she goes off the boil over the next couple of years then it won’t be so much fun and she might make that decision, but at the moment you have to feel more titles are there.
“Why wouldn’t you want to keep playing? The last three weeks she’s had, it’s been extraordinary. She’ll want to win more, no question. She’s playing great golf, there are five more majors to come next year, I’d be surprised if retirement came sooner rather than later.”
After per week the place Lexi Thompson doubtlessly performed at St Andrews for the final time, Catriona Matthew made her remaining AIG Ladies’s Open look and former main champion IK Kim introduced her retirement, Ko’s future within the sport – for so long as she desires it – stays brilliant.
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