Golf: Duo hit straight for the top spot

Cecilia Cho is the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world. Photo / Getty Images

They are the Seoul sisters who can't stop swinging.

Korean-born New Zealanders Cecilia Cho and Lydia Ko are years away from finishing high school but are already the hottest female prospects in Australasia, tipped to go to the summit of the golfing world.

Their success has been based on a work ethic and a training schedule many would label draconian.

Sixteen-year-old Cho had just five days off last year and trained for seven hours on Christmas Day. Across the whole year, the teenager went to the cinema twice.

Ko, 13, has been playing since she was five and practises for at least four hours a day after school and up to 20 each weekend.

"Nobody works as hard as those two," says former European tour professional Susan Farron. "None of the New Zealand girls can match them - I guess we have more of a desire to have a balanced life."

New Zealand Golf operations manager Phil Aickin is similarly impressed. "Their work ethic is to be admired. It's obviously tough but they have probably set a new standard."

Some would say it's a measure of what it takes it be successful. In Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, he claims it takes 10,000 hours performing a specific task to gain exceptional success. At their young ages, Cho and Ko have reached that magical figure, having followed strict regimes since the ages of eight and six respectively.

"I always want to get better," says Cho, "and that is the only way to do it. You have to put in the work - and Lydia trains even more than me. In Korea it is even worse. The amateurs there are full-time. They don't even go to school. They just do tests and exams."

Cho's last day off from her playing, practising and travelling was Christmas Eve.

"I know I have to work hard now. Later I will have time to do things with my friends.

That seems a long way off and she might find her friends are in a different world by then - married with two kids.

Farron, who coached Cho when she represented Auckland between 2007 and 2009, remembers the youngster arriving at 5am for tournaments which didn't start until hours later. "No one else was around but she was there practising on the putting green in the dark," she says.

It feels natural for Cho. "Because I like practising, it's not a hard thing for me. I always want to get better and better and so I just work for it everyday. I guess the hardest part of practising so much is being alone."

She previously enjoyed art at school but has given it up because it takes too much time. She maintains she's not envious of her friends, who lead normal, leisure-filled lives, because she's working for her future career.

Ko's story is similar. She admits to having virtually no freetime, especially during the week where she's on course from 4pm until at least 8pm. On Saturday and Sunday she's there from 9am until 7pm.

Apart from time with her coach, and her dedicated mother, she's often swinging alone, practising hundreds of strokes with only her iPod for company. She puts her success down to two things: "my dedication and how much I like the sport".

Their hard work has paid off. Cho is currently ranked the No 1 amateur in the world, the first woman from New Zealand to achieve the feat. Ko sits at No 4, after spending a long time as No 3 . Cho tied for fourth at the ANZ Ladies Masters on the Gold Coast and was the first New Zealander to win the prestigious Riversdale Cup, a tournament that attracts the best amateurs from Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Cho amassed 15 titles in 2009, won the Australian Strokeplay title last year and is a double New Zealand amateur champion.

Ko was one putt away from winning the NSW Open, which would have made her the youngest winner of any professional women's tournament by about three years. She also finished fourth at the New Zealand Open and 12th in the Australian Open.

"Both have overachieved in pro events and that is the measuring stick, really," says Farron. "They keep shining through - it's not just a few freak events.

"It's always difficult to make predictions but, if they keep going at the rate they are, anything is possible. The fact they have developed the mental skills and coping strategies to compete at these big events is the most impressive aspect."

Astute observers, including successful British golfer Laura Davies, were full of praise for the duo's performances at the New Zealand Open. Experts noted their straight hitting and their ability to consistently find the middle of the club.

Says Aickin: "They barely have a weakness, and, as they physically develop, their driving off the tee, will continue to improve and develop."

Cho and Ko are unqualified successes, but should they be role models for other New Zealand golfers and athletes?

Their dedication from such a young age has already had obvious benefits, but what are the costs?

As Andre Agassi said in his autobiography Open, he hated tennis for years. He detested the enforced, endless practice sessions and the pressure and expectation to succeed while his peers were having fun. He resented his lost childhood and often wanted to stop playing. Later in his career, Agassi rebelled on several occasions, although nearing retirement he regained his love for the sport.

The best golf example is Tiger Woods. Woods had a club in his hand before he turned 2 and at 3 shot 49 over nine holes.

The former world No 1 set a benchmark in terms of physical fitness and dedication to training. From starting at such a young age, Woods had little say in the direction his life would take, but has retained a passion and love for golf.

Auckland child psychologist David Stebbing says: "In assessing the impact on children [of intense sports training] you can't take a one-size-fits-all approach. It's very individual and there is always a cultural component."

Stebbing says that, while some cultures emphasise a balanced life (and childhood), others see success as paramount and it's about what you can achieve for yourself, your family and even your country.

"There may sometimes be negative impacts but it really depends whose agenda it is," he says. "Is it the young person's desire or is the child doing it reluctantly? At a deeper level, do they realise [like Agassi] that they can't not do it? Are they committed in their own heart?"

There is always a legitimate cost-benefit analysis. "In these situations, there is genuine sacrifice but there are also the significant psychological rewards of success, achievement and recognition," Stebbing says.

Se Ri Pak was the trailblazer for Korean women's golf.

She won two majors in her rookie season on the USLPGA as a 20-year-old in 1998, turning a whole nation on to the sport. But the intense drive to succeed came at a cost.

In an Agassi-esque phrase, she told the New York Times that at times she "hated to be on the golf course" and had several periods of burnout.

Inspired by Pak, Na Yeon Choi started playing at the age of 9 and was one of the top money earners on the USLPGA tour in 2010. She has admitted struggling to balance golf with a normal life, as she would often practise 12 hours a day.

"I got good results, but sometimes I regret it because I didn't have too many hobbies," she said last year. "[There was] no time for me. I was focused too much on golf."

Choi said Pak's advice to her was, 'don't get stressed too much, have more fun [and] hang out with friends'.

It's difficult to make judgments on Cho and Ko. One insider said he worried whether the two adolescents were getting enough sleep. While there are different needs, it's obvious the duo have rarely, if ever, got the 10 hours a day recommended for children and young teens.

There's also the parallel with the high-profile Michelle Wie, who has suffered many injuries - particularly to her back - thought to be related to an intense diet of playing and practising from a young age.

On the other hand, both prodigies seem to genuinely love the sport. Every day is an adventure and it's believable when they say they enjoy the training and practising.

They have a straightforward goal - to be a professional (Cho has spoken of a desire to be world No 1) and accept there can't be any distractions.

Says Farron: "They have a team helping them with mental skills, fitness and technical aspects but the commitment comes from within. They seem like typical Kiwi kids and have a great sense of humour. Although they are focussed, they were always open to help other players on the team.

"The question is will the passion wane? They have put their heart and soul into it - there is an absolute single-minded dedication to get to the top. You hope they do it because they love it and that stays genuine."

Both seem relatively unaffected by the limelight. Ko entranced media with humorous asides at the New Zealand Open and, apart from winning the Riversdale tournament, Cho seemed just as excited about trying burritos.

This week they led the New Zealand team to a fifth-place finish in the Queen Sirkit Cup in India, after finishing runners-up to perenial champions Korea last year.

There are more tournaments to play in Australia before they return to school.

Ko starts secondary school this year and has a formidable range of subjects lined up.

"I will have to catch up," says Ko. "I will be busy but that's OK."