New Zealand golfing superstar Lydia Ko says she’s never been happier.
The former teen sensation suffered a notable form slump for a couple of years but has lifted herself back to No.3 in the women’s world golf rankings ahead of the US Open which starts on Friday morning (NZ time).
Ko became the youngest professional golfer in the game’s history to be ranked as the best in the world when just 17 after winning two major titles.
Her game fell away in 2019 and 2020, but she bounced back to score her first LPGA tournament victory in Hawaii in April last year. That was followed by a second consecutive Olympic Games medal in Tokyo and her 17th LPGA title in January.
Ko told the Golf website she didn’t miss the days of dominating tournaments as a precocious teen talent.
“I love my life right now.
“My sister was just saying that I look really happy. I feel that way. I feel like this may be the happiest point of my life.
“Some days I know I don’t have a good day on the golf course, but I come back and my family and friends are there to support me. So, yeah, I’m sure there are things that I miss about, oh, maybe being a little carefree. But my ‘give a s..t’ level is pretty low anyway, so it’s not like I’m that affected.
“When I was a kid, I would wish I could go on school camps and, like, have sleepovers with my friends. But I always had to go practice. Now? I get more time off. The cool thing about our schedule is that I can pick and choose whatever I want to play and, like, plan my weeks off. It’s great. I’m on when I’m on, I’m off when I’m off. So, yeah. I’m happy right now.”
