Whats up 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, every thing from final week?
I really 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 help 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 loads of help from the gamers and others round you. What has been probably the most impactful message that you just’ve gotten from somebody after undertaking what you’ve carried out?
, loads of the women which are already within the Corridor of Fame reached out, and particularly someone like Nancy Lopez, each time I see her, she offers me good vibes. , all the time phrases of knowledge, and for someone like her to love take me beneath her profitable and help me means so much.
There’s been simply so many individuals, like Meg and Beth mentioned that they had like cried watching me. It means so much. I’ve seen a few of my good associates right here, as nicely. 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 someone that’s concerned, everyone knows how laborious 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 help me like this, it means so much, and I believe that’s probably the most, I assume 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 particularly 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 occasions 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 type of alternative. To say that I’m a part of that type of historical past e-book is admittedly cool, and yeah, I believe I nearly want like a number of weeks off to love actually take every thing 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 nicely. Nevertheless 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, whenever you take a look at that?
I haven’t really 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 occasions. I like don’t actually need 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 convey it out right here. However yeah, I haven’t seen my Rio or Tokyo Olympic Medals for the reason that day I received 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, may 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 taking part in 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 crew and I simply wished to type of follow my schedule, and I believe it’s a great factor, particularly type of taking part in into one thing as large as The Open. We don’t have probably the most lovely day immediately however I really feel prefer it’s like a welcome to Scotland type of a factor.
However I all the time take pleasure in taking part in hyperlinks, and we don’t actually get to play these sort of golf programs very a lot within the yr.
It’s a extremely good preparation for subsequent week. Yeah, I believe I’d reasonably play and type of — whether or not it’s good or dangerous this week, to simply be on that momentum of competitively taking part in, 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 objective is that for you going ahead to tick that one off?
I haven’t personally performed that nicely at an Open Championship very a lot. Solely like two, thrice across the Tenth-ish I’m I performed the British Open.
Yeah, I might love to love be in rivalry, and I believe taking part in this week will get me extra accustomed to this type of golf. , I believe folks — one in all my coaches had been asking me, oh, then what’s your objective now, even when it’s a small objective?
I mentioned it might be actually, actually cool to win a serious championship earlier than I’m carried out competitively taking part in.
I don’t precisely know when that point is however I believe it’s good to have one other objective, and that’s positively a objective 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 might like to be extra in rivalry and type of take pleasure in being in that type of a state of affairs.
Discuss taking part in in Scotland there. How do you go about adjusting taking part in your sport in circumstances which are clearly not so beneficial this week? Is there something particularly you do in a different way?
Final week was really fairly like agency, windy on a number 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 completely different. Like Dundonald Hyperlinks is a really completely different golf course to St Andrews, and I believe it’s a part of our job to shortly alter to the way it’s taking part in.
, it’s a little bit softer for this time of the yr and what it may very well be round right here simply due to the rain that they have in.
, it’s about adjusting and getting used to it as fast as potential. I performed 9 holes yesterday, and I’m planning to play 9 this afternoon.
Hopefully that can give me a good suggestion on easy methods to method the golf course, and yeah, type of discover my manner round to shoot the most effective rating I can.
You touched on subsequent week there, as nicely, for the AIG. How particular is that going to be taking part in on the Outdated Course? Not someplace that we see girls’s majors going to so much. 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 beginner 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 the entire 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 exhibiting my age somewhat 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 boys have performed there a pair occasions 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 can in all probability be my final time taking part in the British Open at St Andrews. I’m excited that we will all take pleasure in it collectively.
You’ve been inspiring folks because you really began taking part in 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 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 type 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 change into an Olympian and symbolize their nation someday.
And taking part in within the Olympics and representing New Zealand was one of many largest 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 changing 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 received a objective 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 need to give up that day. And good days, you’re feeling like you can go and do that perpetually and it looks like that second goes to final perpetually.
I personally don’t know when the ending level is however I clearly have set one other objective for myself so I’m not similar to cluelessly taking part in on tour.
, even when I used to be to cease immediately, I’m clearly very grateful for every thing that has occurred in my profession thus far, however I haven’t actually set an finish date but.
Nevertheless it’s one thing that I have to suppose so much about, and it’s positively not simply an in a single day thought, I assume, yeah.
I do know you’ve not set a selected date as such on whenever you suppose you’ll name time on taking part in. Is there a chance this may very well be your final Girls’s Scottish Open and even Open subsequent week?
Most likely not The Open. I might — I type of need to get by way of this yr first after which assess. However this yr will in all probability not be, like, my final aggressive yr.