‘I Should Have Left…’: Lydia Ko Dishes Out Cryptic Retirement Tease After Kroger Queen City Championship Win
She won at the Olympics. Then the AIG Women’s Open. And now she’s proven herself again at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Amazing to witness the Kiwi back to her old self again, isn’t it? But it’s becoming harder and harder to predict until when we can actually watch the golfer dish out such finish after finish. The reason? All thanks to her retirement plans, which have left everyone wondering about the same. However, one thing is certain. Lydia Ko seems to want to follow the example of a certain Mexican golfer.
“Lorena Ochoa is somebody I really look up to,” admitted the New Zealand pro in an interview post her Kroger Queen City Championship win. Sounds ominous for the average Ko fan, to be honest. The Mexican athlete retired at the age of 28 in 2010 after clinching 27 LPGA Tour victories and a Hall of Fame spot. Wait… Ko is now 27-years-old, right?
“I hoped that my career would be quite similar too,” confessed the pro, as she alluded to how she wanted to retire when she was still playing the sport well. Ochoa, interestingly, had done the same. And now, it appears Ko is leaning toward a similar end as she added, “I think I’ve always said that I would rather retire and then at one point say, oh, if I kept playing maybe I could have won a few more than retire at a point where I feel like I should have left the game a long time ago.”
But Lydia Ko’s fans can breathe a sigh of relief for now. The reason? Well, it’s all thanks to the revelation that followed the golfer’s admiration for Ochoa. “I don’t know when that moment is right now,” said the Kiwi. “I enjoyed these past three weeks, and it was great being home and not to live out of my suitcase.“
That’s not all. Lydia Ko even alluded to the Career Grand Slam that she had talked about as a goal in an interview with Golf Channel’s Amy Rogers as she said, “The career grand slam seems too far out there, but what has happened the past couple months have been that extent of craziness I guess.” Crazy would be right, for the golfer clinched a spot in the Hall of Fame with a Gold medal while completing the Olympic trifecta, and won a major, not to mention the recent event. Seems like he still has that drive to claim more victories!
Lydia Ko confesses the reason behind her ‘Career Grand Slam’ goals
“I just wanted to set a goal that was something that I can work towards,” said the pro as she alluded to winning all the majors in her career. The 27-year-old has, till now, won a total of three majors, the 2015 Evian Championship, the 2016 ANA Inspiration, and the 2024 AIG Women’s Open. Looking forward to winning the other two doesn’t seem like much of a distant dream, to be honest, if she continues the momentum.
For Ko, however, whether she can achieve the feat comes secondary. “It’s just more the drive for me to keep wanting to put myself in contention,” clarified the New Zealand professional, “And hopefully be the one holding the trophy at the end of the week more and more after this week as well.” Quite a bit of humility she has, wouldn’t you agree? Especially since she has managed to claim a spot in the Hall of Fame at just 27 years of age. Anyhow, the golfer seems to have decided to keep on playing the sport for now. Truly a piece of good news for fans!
