The Time Lydia Ko’s Mum Gave Me the Evil Eye

From the moment I locked eyes with Lydia Ko’s mum, I knew I wasn’t having lunch with her daughter. A half-second before, standing in the clubhouse of an over-moneyed golf course in Rogers, Arkansas, I thought I had just scored one of the biggest scoops in Kiwi sports journalism: an exclusive, private chat with our greatest female golfer.

Then came the glare.
It wasn’t a glare of anger or hostility. It was a look of pure, unadulterated disdain. A look that said, “You think you know who you’re talking to?” A look that could wither the strongest oak. I’d been warned about Lydia Ko’s parents, of course. Everyone had. Stories abound of their iron-fisted grip on their daughter’s career, of their relentless pursuit of perfection. But nothing could have prepared me for the intensity of their gaze, the weight of their expectations.

In the end, I never did get to speak to Lydia. Her mother politely declined my request, citing scheduling conflicts. But the memory of that brief encounter, that single, soul-crushing glance, has stayed with me all these years. It’s a reminder of the immense pressure that Lydia Ko has faced throughout her career, the sacrifices she has made, and the toll it has taken on her and her family. It’s also a reminder of the human cost of success, and the importance of empathy and understanding.

Lydia Ko is a remarkable athlete, a role model, and a source of national pride. But she is also a young woman, with all the hopes, dreams, and vulnerabilities that come with it. Let’s remember that the next time we see her on the golf course, or read about her in the news.