Whats up 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 help from the gamers and the those that I do know, and simply very grateful for actually this once-in-a-lifetime alternative.
You simply talked about you’ve gotten loads of help from the gamers and others round you. What has been essentially the most impactful message that you just’ve gotten from somebody after carrying out what you’ve performed?
You recognize, loads of the women which can be already within the Corridor of Fame reached out, and particularly any person like Nancy Lopez, each time I see her, she offers me good vibes. You recognize, all the time phrases of knowledge, and for any person like her to love take me beneath her profitable and help me means rather a lot.
There’s been simply so many individuals, like Meg and Beth stated they’d like cried watching me. It means rather a lot. I’ve seen a few of my good buddies 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 feel as a participant and like any person that’s concerned, everyone knows how exhausting it’s. So like we’re all occurring this journey collectively, and so most of the those that I play alongside, and to see them help me like this, it means rather a lot, and I feel 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 particularly imply to you?
It’s tremendous cool. Molly gave me the warmest welcome to the Corridor of Fame on that Saturday. I feel I’ve stated a number of instances earlier than, I didn’t actually suppose I used to be able to getting in any type 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 admittedly cool, and yeah, I feel I nearly want like a couple of 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. But it surely’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, once 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 sort of take it out as a result of not all people 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 bought it, both. Now that I’ve three, I feel I have to discover a good place to putt all of them collectively.
On the again of final week, may need been tempting to provide 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 feel it simply sort of made sense that having the British Open in Scotland, to play the week once more prior in Scotland. I feel 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 workforce and I simply wished to sort of keep on with my schedule, and I feel it’s an excellent factor, particularly sort of enjoying into one thing as large as The Open. We don’t have essentially the most stunning day right now however I really feel prefer it’s like a welcome to Scotland sort of a factor.
However I all the time get pleasure from enjoying hyperlinks, and we don’t actually get to play these sort of golf programs very a lot within the 12 months.
It’s a very good preparation for subsequent week. Yeah, I feel I’d reasonably play and sort 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 an excellent 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’d love to love be in competition, and I feel enjoying this week will get me extra accustomed to this model of golf. You recognize, I feel 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 performed competitively enjoying.
I don’t precisely know when that point is however I feel 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 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 competition and sort of get pleasure from being in that sort of a state of affairs.
Speak about enjoying in Scotland there. How do you go about adjusting enjoying your recreation in situations which can be clearly not so beneficial this week? Is there something particularly you do otherwise?
Final week was truly fairly like agency, windy on a couple of 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 comparable.
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 feel it’s a part of our job to shortly alter 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 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 tips on how to method the golf course, and yeah, sort of discover my method round to shoot the perfect 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 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 the entire 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 loads 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 is going to most likely be my final time enjoying the British Open at St Andrews. I’m excited that we are able to all get pleasure from it collectively.
You’ve been inspiring folks because you truly began enjoying golf since a young person, however profitable the Olympics, what do you are feeling that’s going to do? Do you suppose that’s the most important factor that you just’ve ever performed when it comes to inspiring a brand new era maybe?
I feel golf returned to the Olympics in 2016 in over 100 years, and we had some uncommon circumstances with Zika and COVID up 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 feel 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 turn 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 feel it’s undoubtedly a giant dream that I feel many juniors, not golfers, however in different sports activities, ought to dream of changing into as a result of if I can do it, they will do it, too, for positive.
Have you ever set a date for once you retire? Have you ever bought a aim in thoughts for once you end in golf?
I all the time 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 dangerous days and good days, and dangerous days, I wish to stop that day. And good days, you are feeling like you might go and do that eternally and it looks like that second goes to final eternally.
I personally don’t know when the ending level is however I clearly have set one other aim for myself so I’m not similar to cluelessly enjoying on tour.
You recognize, even when I used to be to cease right now, 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.
But it surely’s one thing that I have to suppose 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 selected date as such on once you suppose you’re going to name time on enjoying. Is there a chance this might be your final Ladies’s Scottish Open and even Open subsequent week?
Most likely not The Open. I’d — I sort of wish to get by way of this 12 months first after which assess. However this 12 months will most likely not be, like, my final aggressive 12 months.