It’s easy to imagine Lydia Ko being whisked away by private jet from Paris to Scotland. Enjoying champagne with friends and family, admiring her gold medal.
It wasn’t quite like that. Ko traveled as most of us do, commercially – though, likely in a better section. She said on Tuesday that she didn’t sleep much because of the “logistics” and she definitely didn’t take out her new prize, because, “not everybody knows that I’m an athlete nor an Olympian or that I had won a medal. So, it’s kind of awkward at times. I, like, don’t really want to – I don’t feel like it’s bragging, but I have to [show the medal].”
Ko is a modest Hall of Famer and one who is well respected by both her peers and those previously enshrined.
The 27-year-old New Zealander, who earned LPGA HOF status by winning gold in last week’s Paris Olympics, said she has received congratulations at every turn.
“There’s been just so many people, like Meg [Mallon] and Beth [Daniel] said they had, like, cried watching me. It means a lot,” Ko said ahead of this week’s Women’s Scottish Open. “I’ve seen some of my good friends here, as well. It’s pretty surreal. I was talking to one of the moms yesterday and nearly brought tears to my eyes again.”
Ko has traded in the City of Light for two weeks of the Scottish elements. She’ll compete this week at Dundonald Links before heading to St. Andrews for the AIG Women’s Open on the Old Course.
Getting rest has been a challenge, as has getting re-adjusted to links golf. Ko said she’s trying to do the latter, “as quick as possible.” She played nine holes on Monday and nine holes on Tuesday.
This week, however, is about preparation for next week. And next week is really when Ko begins her next chapter.
Ko said she was asked by a team member, “what’s your goal now?”
“I said it would be really, really cool to win a major championship before I’m done competitively playing,” said Ko, who has two major wins to her credit but none since 2016.
The AIG is the last major of the season and one in which Ko doesn’t have the greatest track record, with only two top-10 finishes. Winning at St. Andrews, on top of winning gold and earning a spot in the Hall of Fame, would continue the fairytale.
But if it doesn’t happen, Ko said she’s pretty certain there will be more major opportunities in her future.
“I personally don’t know when the ending point is, but I obviously have set another goal for myself so I’m not just like cluelessly playing on tour,” she said.
“I kind of want to get through this year first and then assess. But this year will probably not be, like, my last competitive year.”