Despite Plans to Quit LPGA at 30, Lydia Ko Rethinking Her Decision Due to an Infuriating Reason
Lydia Ko has been one of the top pros on the LPGA Tour for a long time. Right from her debut on the Tour, she has been frequently winning titles and expanding her trophy cabinet. She began her journey by becoming the youngest golfer in history to win a professional title. Ko was only 15 years, 4 months, and 2 days old when she captured the 2012 CPKC Women’s Open.
Over the years, Lydia Ko has grown substantially as a player and a star for the LPGA Tour. She has dominated at every event and golf course that she has been at, nearly achieving every title that the Tour has to offer. Ko is a pro for the big stages as she is no stranger to standing tall in crunch moments and capturing the victory. But her story in the LPGA Tour might be coming to an end in the next few years. And she has already set her goals for what she would like to achieve before starting the next chapter of her life.
Lydia Ko aims to become one of the greatest
The New Zealand national has been seen enjoying her life a little too much back home during the break. As soon as the 2024 Grant Thornton Invitational ended, Lydia Ko boarded a plane and traveled back to her home country immediately. What was supposed to be an ordinary visit to the family turned into a dream for Ko. Soon after landing in New Zealand, she was awarded the title of the ‘Dame’ before her name. From migrating to New Zealand to winning the Olympics for her nation and now being honored with the highest title awarded to a citizen, Ko has come a long way in her life.
But she still has a few more goals in her life, particularly becoming a Grand Slam champion in golf. Ko has already captured the 2015 Evian Championship, the 2016 Chevron Championship, and the 2024 AIG Women’s Open. However, there are still two majors that evade her. Speaking to Golf Monthly, Ko shared her next biggest goals in professional golf. The 27-year-old aims to win the US Women’s Open and Women’s PGA Championship within the next couple of years. Why is she limiting it to two years? It seems that the 22x LPGA Tour winner is looking at a bigger picture in life.
Ko hopes that she can become a Grand Slam champion before turning 30 as she plans to step away from the sport after that. During her interview, she specifically said, “I really enjoyed not having to live out of a suitcase, and I want more of that – so the Grand Slam had better happen soon!” This suggests that she doesn’t like traveling the world to play professional golf, which can become exhausting, and wants to settle down after achieving everything in golf. It seems that her dream to be a Grand Slam champion is the only thing that’s holding her back.
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It’s great to see Lydia Ko have a clear vision of her future. Her fans might also be pleased with her goals. However, this might ring some alarm bells in the LPGA Tour headquarters.
Ko’s decision may cause turmoil in the LPGA Tour office
Lydia Ko’s decision to step away is quite concerning for the LPGA Tour. Watching their biggest stars retire at an early age won’t please them. Lexi Thompson had also stepped away from full-time professional golf after finishing the 2024 season of the Tour. She seems to be genuinely happy after retirement as she has often shares pictures of her life on her social media. Thompson also showed off her insane body transformation as she is determined to achieve her other goals in life.
The news of Lexi Thompson’s retirement had been all over the headlines last year. However, there were a few other pros who also stepped away in 2024. Ally Ewing was one of the names who played her last LPGA Tour event in 2024. She held her last club as a professional golfer in the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship. Brittany Lincicome also announced that she won’t be playing as a full-time professional golfer anymore in late 2024.
