‘[My Parents] Have Said Things That Upset Me’: Lydia Ko Finally Opens Up on Her Harshly Scrutinized Upbringing

Lydia Ko’s parents, father Ko Gil-Hong & mother Hyeon Bong-Sook, have played a pivotal role in shaping her career to where it stands now. But the way she was brought up was a little different and tougher than other kids. Like how Earl Woods was strict with Tiger Woods to become the best golfer. Similarly, Ko’s parents wanted her to excel in her professional career and kind of meddled in many ways to make that happen.

This became a huge issue when Ko’s former coach, David Leadbetter, once revealed that they were a little intrusive in Ko’s life. The Hall of Farmer too agreed in an interview with the LPGA Tour in 2016 and said, “I think I have, yes, sometimes, been too reliant on my parents because I am so used to being with them.” Eight years later, the 21-time LPGA Tour winner has a broader perspective on hurtful things.

She recalled her childhood and the intense practice session after school every weekend in an interview with The Woman’s Day, a New Zealand-based publication. Lydia Ko said, “Sometimes they’ve said things that upset me, but it’s out of love and, now I’m older, I understand better than when I was 10, hearing my mum say, ‘Go do that!’ I’m here because of them.”

Unlike the criticism that her parents received for their upbringing style, Ko understood that they were harsh because they wanted her to succeed and so far, it can be said that the number of accolades that Ko has accomplished might be because of their unending support and the way they pushed her to be the best.

The extent of Ko’s parents’ control in her life could be understood when Leadbetter said, “They tell her when to go to bed, what to eat, what to wear, when to practice and what to practice.” But this dependency on her parents from the 27-year-old was not the result of an intrusive parenting style but rather the care and love Ko’s parents had for her. The LPGA star herself revealed why she was used to her parents always being with her.

Lydia Ko talks about her mother’s sacrifices
When Lydia Ko was breaking records all around the globe on golf courses, it was her parents who made many sacrifices off the course to bring her there. As it might never come to the surface, Ko highlighted the things her mother did for her while sacrificing her lifestyle. It was the 2018 season and the Kiwi pro was preparing to play in the British Open after missing the cut at the Women’s Scottish Open. Ahead of teeing up at the major, Ko talked about her mother with CNN and how she has been a “huge inspiration” for her.

Talking about her amateur days, Korda recounted how Tina, her mother, used to go to lengths to provide the best for her. Ko said, “She’s pretty much devoted her life to me… as an amateur she drove me to the New Zealand Amateurs, would fly over here [to the States], would rent a car and even at those times, at the age of 11 or 12, we didn’t really have a GPS, so she printed out sheets with road maps and directions to go to these places that could be four to five hours away.”

So even though Ko’s parents were criticized for being a bit unusual to her in her childhood, Ko understood their reasoning and even said that she could not do as much as her mother had done for her own daughter. Regardless of the past criticism and the moments that were not as joyful, the 27-year-old has moved on and looks forward to have her own family now.