Enjoy it while it lasts: NZ golf star Lydia Ko sticking to plan to retire by 30
Olympic champion and Women’s British Open winner Lydia Ko says recent success hasn’t changed her mind about retiring from professional golf before she turns 30.
The 27-year-old Ko told Radio New Zealand that her victories in Paris and at St Andrews would not influence her long-held plan to go out on top and pursue other interests.
āI know for a fact Iām probably never playing past 30,ā the New Zealander said.
āWhat has happened in the last few weeks doesnāt change my timeline. I want to leave the game while Iām still playing well.ā
Still, the South Korea-born Kiwi said she would consult family before reaching any final decision.
Recently married, Ko said golf is no longer the only thing in her life. She also noted that sheās a ādog mumā.
ā(Itās good) to know that golf doesnāt complete me,ā she said.
āGolf, itās just part of me, but thatās not me as a whole.ā
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In January 2012, aged 14, Ko became at that time the youngest male or female to win a professional tournament when she won the womenās New South Wales Open.
Last year was one of her toughest in professional golf ā she didnāt win any LPGA tournaments or majors, though she won the lucrative Saudi Ladies International and the Grant Thornton Invitational mixed teams tournament with Australian Jason Day.
Her Olympic success this year after previously winning silver and bronze medals marked the end of a difficult period, which she had largely endured in silence.
āIām definitely the type where I kind of sit on my feelings and all that and not always super vocal about ā¦ what Iām going through,ā Ko said. āBut my family has always been there for me, and especially my sister.ā
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