LYDIA KO: REWRITING THE HISTORY BOOKS

Lydia Ko added yet more trophies and accolades to her record-breaking career during a sensational 2024. But despite constant speculation about retirement, she says she's not done just yet...

- David Facey

Lydia Ko began last year wondering how much longer she could delay her seemingly inevitable retirement. But a stunning run in the second half of the season completely flipped the narrative and Ko entered 2025 wondering whether she still has time to complete the Grand Slam of all five women's Majors.

She moved a step closer last year by winning the AIG Women's Open just a couple of weeks after her epic victory at the Paris Olympics.

If the first half of 2024 belonged to Nelly Korda with her astonishing run of five consecutive victories before the end of April - the second half belonged to Ko, especially as she followed up her Open triumph by winning the Kroger Queen City Championship on her next start. Given that spell of dominance, and the fact that she is still only 27, you wonder why the hugely popular New Zealander even entertained thoughts of giving up the game.

But the former child prodigy has always maintained that she is unlikely to play beyond her 30th birthday - and would not stick around that long if she felt she could no longer compete with the best in the world.

Those doubts began to gnaw at Ko as she struggled after opening the 2024 season with an encouraging win at the Tournament of Champions, followed by a runner-up finish in her second outing.

A missed cut at the US Women's Open and a share of 46th at the KPMG Women's PGA deepened the gloom, and Ko admits she began to wonder whether the time was right to pack the clubs away.

HIGHS AND LOWS

"I also felt that way at the start of the year after I played so poorly throughout 2023," Ko explains. "No LPGA Tour wins, and not even qualifying for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, which I won in 2022. Not being able to defend that title really hurt, and made me question my place in the game a bit.