The 2024 season for the LPGA Tour was filled with the unexpected retirement of professionals. Lexi Thompson, Brittany Lincicome, Ally Ewing, and Emma Talley are some names who shocked the golf world with their early retirement. While the mental and physical fatigue with back-to-back event participation in different corners of the world is a joke. However, for the fans, nothing feels as disheartening as the player’s retirement news. Now, with the start of 2025, Lydia Ko has also shared a worrisome statement during an interview.
Ko has till now had a distinguished career with an achievement list having three Olympic medals, three major titles, and a total of 30 career wins. Even the great 2024 year of LPGA Pro has 4 victories, including an Olympic gold medal. Now, with being in the greatest years of her career, fans are eager to see her shine and keep the victory toll increasing. In a recent interview shared on LPGA’s YouTube channel, she discussed her great victory at the Olympics and career achievements in brief.
The 27-year-old was asked about her 2024 season, where, after winning the Tournament of Champions, she made it to the Olympics and had the chance to get her third medal. The interviewer asked, “Did you feel the pressure going into it or do you just like you know what whatever happens happens?”
Sharing the experience, Ko explained how every time she featured at the Olympics, it was a different situation each time. Further continuing, during the 2016 edition, she was world no. 1, which brought a lot of expectations. While in Tokyo 2020, she shared how the game wasn’t as expected and had low expectations for the medal. But she had the advantage of winning a medal twice and was low-pressured at the third appearance.
Paris 2024 Olympics – Golf – Women’s Round 4 – Le Golf National, Guyancourt, France – August 10, 2024. Lydia Ko of New Zealand plays out from a bunker during the final round REUTERS/Paul Childs
She said, “I think for me being I think one of the few that had only that had the medal from the previous games playing in the field I think there was less pressure to get a medal because I already know that I did medal.” She even said, “I felt like there was nothing to lose and in Paris, I knew that it was going to be my last game. So I wanted to kind of give it my last hurrah.”
Even though the next Olympics still have time, listening to the professionals about not appearing in the next one is disheartening news. However, fortunately, the list of retirements, which saw a great increase in 2024, will be on a halt for at least the most expensive season of the LPGA Tour. Lydia Ko already has set the tone for this season with her 6th place finish at the Tournament of Champions. She will be aiming to achieve her career goal in 2025.
Lydia Ko’s goal for the 2025 season
With the 75th anniversary season, LPGA has shared about the record-breaking purse of $131 million. Even Lydia Ko has shared her aim for the season in the interview. She was asked, “Do you have any goals or dreams, not even just this year but maybe for the rest of your career?”
Answering this Ko stated, “Yeah, I think the career Grand Slam was probably my biggest goal.” She continued her answer while recalling her memory of her teenage years when she first said to win the grand slam. Continuing, she mentioned that “I probably didn’t realize how difficult that was.”
Sharing further, she pointed out her performance last year while speaking about working in the right direction with the team that she has. Even said, “I’m still playing golf; I want to play the best golf I can.” She mentioned the two majors that she is missing, i.e., the US Women’s Open and the KPMG PGA Championship. While her main aim is to win the US Women’s Open, “because that is an even smaller pool of people that have won that,” Ko shared.
Now, with the aim of getting to the career grand slam, Lydia Ko is expected to have the greatest career years following her performance in 2024. What do you think about her career goal? Can she win the remaining two majors for a Grand Slam? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
The post ‘To Be My Last’: Lydia Ko Drops Major Retirement Hint Amid LPGA’s Most Expensive Season appeared first on EssentiallySports.
