Dame Lydia Ko will look to complete a career grand slam at the Women's PGA Championship this week. Photo / AFP
Dame Lydia Ko will look to complete a career grand slam at the Women's PGA Championship this week. Photo / AFP
As Dame Lydia Ko looks to compete this week for her fourth major championship win, she has suggested winning gold at last year’s Paris Olympics was her Games swansong.
The LPGA Hall of Famer will tee off at the Women’s PGA Championship this week, looking to better the second-placed finishshe had in 2016.
The major is one of the sport’s biggest tournaments that the 28-year-old Kiwi is yet to win, along with the US Open, where her best result is a tie for third, which also came in 2016.
Last year, Ko earned her place in the Hall of Fame when she claimed the gold medal in Paris – accumulating the last of the 27 points needed and ending a seven-month stretch of consistent questions about being so close to the achievement.
At the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a new mixed format is set to be introduced, with a male and a female player teaming up to represent their country, provided the nation has qualified athletes in both the men’s and women’s individual events.
At first thought, Ko and Ryan Fox would seem like the clear pairing for New Zealand. But while Ko was interested in the format, she said she wasn’t likely to be involved in it.
“I think in Paris we were both like, ‘oh, this is probably our last Olympics’. I said Paris was probably going to be my last one,” she said.
Lydia Ko with her gold medal in Paris. Photo / Photosport
“I think it’s a really fun format to have that mixed team event. I don’t think I’ll be competing in that one, but it’s a great way to integrate the sport.
“I think golf has been back in the Olympics long enough now that I think we can change it up. I’m excited to see it and I think it gives opportunities for people that may have not medalled individually to kind of go for a team event.
“It’s super exciting. Whether I play in it or not is not really the big thing, but I think it’s great for our sport.”
That tournament is, however, years away.
For now, the current world No 3 has her sights set on Fields Ranch East in Frisco, Texas – a state she admits she hasn’t performed particularly well in.
A win this week would see Ko complete her career LPGA grand slam, which recognises players to have won four majors.
Although the LPGA Tour now includes five majors, the organisation made the decision that a grand slam would constitute four wins as to not make the accomplishment harder to achieve or alter the discussion around it.
Instead, players who win five majors are acknowledged as completing a super career grand slam.
“In all honesty, I’ve not really played well in the state of Texas, but this is my favourite course in Texas yet,” Ko said.
“I think there is always time for a change, and I think if you go down the hole of saying, okay, I’ve only won in California or I’ve only won in Florida, you’re kind of putting pressure and doubt in your own mind. Yeah, there’s always opportunity for wins.
“At the same time, there’s 156 players and as long as you’re competing, you have that chance to be out here. I think that’s the great thing about this golf course, is even if you were local to the area, I don’t think you’re that familiar to this golf course. It’s a pretty level playing field.
“I think it doesn’t matter if you’ve seen the golf course 100 times or once. If you’re playing good and hitting good-quality golf shots, I think that’s what matters most at the end of the day.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
