Ko Looking for Three Straight in Canada


Lydia Ko made history last year. The New Zealand teenager became the first player in history to win two professional events as an amateur.

At the age of 15 years and two months, the South Korea-born Ko became the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Tour event, finishing with a 13-under score of 275 to win the Canadian Women's Open at Vancouver Golf Club. The every next year, she went to Royal Mayfair in Edmonton and repeated as the champion, winning by a whopping five strokes.

Because she was an amateur, Ko forfeited $600,000 in earnings with those two victories. That's no longer a problem as Ko turned pro in October 2013 as the LPGA Tour waived the minimum-age requirement of 18 specifically for her. Ko wasted little time earning some real bucks. In April she won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic and in July the Marathon Classic.

Currently ranked No. 3 in the Rolex Rankings behind American Stacy Lewis and South Korean Inbee Park, Ko, now 17, will be shooting for her third straight Canadian Women's Open this week at Royal London Hunt and Country Club in Ontario.

On Wednesday, Ko met with reporters and discussed her first season as a professional, the state of her game and what it feels like to be one of the favorites heading into a tournament she's won the past two years. Here's what she had to say.

MODERATOR: Good morning, everybody. I'd like to welcome two time defending champion and the No. 3 ranked player in the world, Lydia Ko, into the media center. Lydia, so every champion becomes a part of tournament history, but you have a chance to three-peat here. What is it about Canada that you love so much that you play so well here?

LYDIA KO: I don't know. The first year it kind of came on as a surprise, and the next year it was kind of the same situation. Yeah, I just really love playing here. I mean the last two courses that I got to play have been pretty amazing. They were in great conditions, and so is this one here. Yeah, I mean the support, how many spectators come out and watch, it's really great to play in that kind of format. I mean, I'm excited for this week, but I'm not going to go out there and go, okay, I really need to win this because I just want to play the best I can, and it's kind of not all up to me. There are always great players, so I'm just going to go out there and try my best.

Q. You said there are always great players out there, but there are seven players on Tour this year with two or more wins and you're one of them. So can you talk a little bit about the quality of play out there and how much of a challenge it is to actually win a tournament this year?

LYDIA KO: I mean, it's really tough. The majority of the winners are American players, and I think it's more than what it was the last couple years, so I think it shows that the LPGA is growing, all the players are getting better and better, and it's really hard competing out there with the world's best. But it's been really tough. Even my two wins, I had to try to make a birdie on the last hole to kind of get it done, and it was kind of nerve racking. I mean, everybody's playing their best out here, and to compete and to win at the end of the day, you have to play your best also.

Q. At just 17 years old, we had 16 year old Brooke Henderson in here, you've become the face of this young generation of very good, talented golfers out here. Does that put a little pressure on you? How does that feel being so young still?

LYDIA KO: It doesn't put much pressure because I know there were other girls that started at a young age, and they were superstars, for example, like Lexi, Michelle, Paula. Lexi she's still only two or three years older than me, she's still in her teens, so yeah. To kind of feel like I'm not the only young one out here, it feels good. Even though I'm still the youngest one on the Tour.

Q. How would you compare your personality on the course to your personality off the course? Being so young, there has to be some differences.

LYDIA KO: On the course, I try to keep my mouth shut, not get in people's way, but still interact with the other players. Just kind of be focused as much as I can and just get the work done. Off the course I try to have more fun, watch TV when I get back to the hotel, and try to do more of the teenage things. Q. Finally, I noticed a little bit of tape there on your trademark glasses. What happened to them?

LYDIA KO: I actually asked my mom could you please clean my glasses, but in that sense I never knew that she would break them. I actually got them in Korea, and I actually got sent four new pairs but they're all a little different to what I have. So for now I'm surviving on tape and super glue. I mean, it's been okay. We've been trying to tape it up again. But I mean it shows, but I've already been on TV the last two weeks with it on, so what is the big difference?

Q. I was watching the final round of the LPGA tournament this past weekend, and the Golf Channel announcers were talking about Inbee Park how she looks so cool on the outside, but she's stated she's nervous on the inside. Then they talked about you saying Lydia Ko's cool on the outside, but we have no idea what she's like on the inside. So on that last round there, what do you feel? Do you feel nervous going down the fairways in the championship?

LYDIA KO: I mean, I was feeling nervous. The last day, the first couple holes they put the pins in quite difficult positions where it would be hard to actually even get near it. So I tried to give myself a lot of opportunities and try to stay calm. I was like four or five shots behind the lead anyways. So for me to, I guess, win at the end of the day, I needed to shoot a really good, low score. So I just try to go out there and make as many birdies as possible. Make as many bogeys or mistakes. Yeah, I think I played pretty solid 2 under. I bogeyed the last two holes, but I was in kind of tough conditions. Especially the 18th. It was playing quite a tough hole. But at the end of the day, I think I finished third, and it's a pretty good finish in the majors for me.

Q. What does nervous mean to you?

LYDIA KO: Nervous, I mean, nerves, it's kind of with your hands, you know, when you're nervous because you don't just feel like totally relaxed. To me in situations like the last hole where you're in the lead, I guess that's where I get most nervous. But I try to keep those nerves, but I realize when I don't get nervous, I don't play as good. So it's kind of good nerves. I think having a little nerves is really no harm.

Q. Can you put your finger on you talked about the number of good young players, and I asked Brooke a little about this. But why is it that a sport like women's golf breeds so many young players that are good? Not just young players that play, but young players that are very good. Can you put your finger on it? Do you have any explanation why that is? There are not one or two, but there are a half dozen, probably more than that.

LYDIA KO: I'm not really sure. When you actually see the names of the different players, we're not from one country or one place. There is Canada, the United States, Koreans, and they're all different countries. I don't know what is linking it correlation wise, but I mean it's great. I guess people like myself, there have always been these great players like Annika where we could look up to them and go, man, I want to be like her one day. I think having those kind of Legends on the Tour kind of brings young golfers to go out there and start the game, see how fun it is, and I guess build your game from there.

Q. You had a good tournament last week as we were just talking about. You're the two time defending champ, so kind of all eyes are on you a little more. Maybe a little more pressure on you this year than previous years. How is your game right now? Do you feel like you could win over the next four days?

LYDIA KO: Yeah, I've been playing pretty consistently well, I think. I've been pretty pleased with how everything is going. Yeah, I'm just going to go out there. It's a whole new week. You never know what's going to happen. You don't know what the conditions are going to be like. Every course is a little different, so sometimes it suits longer hitters, sometimes it suits really good putters, et cetera. So to me I'm just going to go out there and try my best. I mean, last year I really wanted to win, but it wasn't because I was trying to defend my title, it was just okay, I'd love to win here. Obviously, it would be great to do a three peat, but you just never know, because the world's best are all here playing in this field.

Q. Can you tell us how your mindset has changed since turning pro?

LYDIA KO: It hasn't changed much. I mean, mindset wise I'm just trying to play and enjoy golf. I mean, it's a little tiring because I play a couple weeks in a row. But last year I had a week and maybe a week off and kind of did it like that. So I guess time wise, time consuming, it's a little. There are more tournaments played. But I've been trying to take a whole new week as just a fresh one. Go out there, relax, try my best. It kind of helps after like a win or you play well, then you kind of get confidence and everything kind of goes a lot easier.

Q. Can you give us your impressions of the city of London so far?

LYDIA KO: I haven't really looked around. I didn't really get a chance to look around because we came here early Monday morning, and I've been trying to get on the course to see the conditions. But we went to this great Japanese restaurant yesterday and just driving around I think Canada feels a lot closer to New Zealand than America does, so it kind of feels good when I'm here in Canada. Yeah, it feels closer to home, which makes it more relaxing.

Q. You've had a couple chances to see the course now and from out there walking around I've heard some of the players remark that there are not many places to miss here. The rough, especially around the greens, is a little thicker, and if you find yourself off the fairway it's going to be tough to score. How do you feel the course is set up? I know the last couple years you've gone 13 under and 15 under to win. Do you feel those scores are attainable right now with the way the course is or do you have to be extremely accurate to shoot that?

LYDIA KO: I mean, the fairways aren't extremely narrow. I think they're just on the average width. I mean, I saw the rough, and it is quite thick, but that's what it's all about. I mean, here you've got kind of deepish bunkers also. They're not pot bunkers, but they're a little, I guess, on the deeper side if you look at a normal golf course. I mean, it's going to be tough. I think the big things here are the greens are quite large, so you kind of have to play in sections where if the pin is on the left side you kind of want to think that the green is only that left half. But it's going to be tough especially when you miss a couple shots, because even around the greens it's not like there is fairway and then rough. It's just rough straight on. So it's going to be tough when you have a couple missed shots, but I guess scrambling and making up and downs is all part of playing because not everyone is going to hit the fairway every single shot, and every single shot's going to go on the green and you have a birdie opportunity.

I think this kind of course you have to play good in all areas, where you have to be accurate. But if you miss a shot and you have to punch something out, then you've got to be good at the approach shot to give yourself an opportunity to make par.

Q. You've probably been asked this question a few times as you've moved your way up into the standings and so on. But what were your influences? Who did you look up to as a golfer when you were just getting started? Who were some of the pros or people that you looked up to?

LYDIA KO: I had a couple players. I mean, like Michelle, everything kind of went fast for her too. She did some things that no other player did. Annika and Michelle both played some men's professional events. I mean, Michelle had been called team phenom for a long time, so she had always been one of my idols, same to Annika. She's legendary. She's one of the people that made the LPGA itself kind of gave a face for the LPGA. I mean, Se Ri Pak, she is a legendary Korean golfer. I guess being born in Korea and being raised there the first couple years of my life, you kind of have to look up to her. Golf wasn't that big until she came and made the Se Ri Kids and made golf a little more in Korea.

I've always loved Phil Mickelson. He's a pretty amazing short game person, and I envy him of that. Hopefully I can get a lesson or a tip soon. Yeah, I mean, they're all just great players. There are so many great players out here, so I always feel thankful that I get to play alongside them.

Q. When you talked about the grind of playing every week, is it harder physically or is it the mental grind that's more difficult? Because I know it's great to have a rest after a week and have another week off, which one do you find more difficult?

LYDIA KO: Both, it's hard. That's why I think a lot of players go out to the gym and work out for stamina and everything for the physical strength. But you can't really work out like intensely during the week because then it's another energy consuming thing. So I think that's why a lot of players work hard in the off season to work out, kind of get their bodies and mentally prepared. I guess when you play better and play good golf, everything kind of goes easily and you're excited for the week after the next. But everything. It gets tiring. That's why at the end of the year everyone's kind of excited to have like a couple weeks off and kind of get ready to play the next season.

The transcript for the above interview is courtesy of ASAP Sports.