[PHOTO: Andrew Redington]
The Hall of Fame dream turned delirious for Lydia Ko. In Scotland on Tuesday for this week’s Women’s Scottish Open, the Kiwi recalled questioning, for a moment, her own fairytale after winning the Olympic gold medal at Le Golf National to earn her 27th and final point necessary to qualify for the LPGA’s Hall of Fame. She was not able to sleep on Saturday evening as she navigated travel to get to Dundonald Links.
“I went to sleep for the first time on Sunday night,” Ko said. “It was pretty surreal. I woke up, like, Was that a dream? Did that just really happen?”
The emotional images came back to her as she recalled the embrace with her sister, Sura, and crying as the New Zealand national anthem played during the medal ceremony. LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan personally welcomed Ko to the hall. She also received text messages from fellow Hall of Famers Meg Mallon and Beth Daniel, who said they cried over Ko’s victory. A player’s mum shared her excitement, nearly bringing Ko to tears again.
Ko said the gold medal stayed close to her in her backpack during her travels. However, flying to play at Dundonald Links was not initially in her plans.
Before the start of the Paris Games, she joked with her team that if she won the gold medal she wouldn’t play in the next event. But a question from one of her coaches changed her mind. After her podium moment, Ko was asked what goal she might have next, as she had finished a multi-year pursuit of getting into the hall.
She answered with something she has not done in eight years – win a major.
Incredibly, Ko’s last major title was the 2016 ANA Inspiration. The 20-time LPGA winner has amassed 11 top-10s in majors since. In trying to continue her competitive momentum from playing in Paris, she still wanted to play the Scottish to get links-style prep ahead of the Women’s Open at St Andrews’ Old Course next week.
“It would be really, really cool to win a major championship before I’m done competitively playing,” Ko said. “I don’t exactly know when that time is, but I think it’s good to have another goal, and that’s definitely a goal of mine.”
Accomplishing her next goal of winning another major does not necessarily align with her long-hinted suggestion that upon getting into the hall, Ko would retire from professional golf and move on to the next chapter of her life. As of now, the player who as a 17-year-old said that she would be done playing by 30, still envisions playing to some extent next season.
“I kind of want to get through this year first and then assess,” Ko said. “But this year will probably not be my last competitive year.”
