LPGA Tour Pro Lydia Ko Says Being “Past The Halfway Point” In Her Career Despite Aging 26

For some, golf begins in their 20s and for others, it becomes a juncture when they decide on retirement. So is the case with LPGA Tour pro Lydia Ko, who’s only 26 and thinks she’s halfway through her career. In a recent interview, Ko revealed that when she was only a teenager, she had already concluded that 30 would be her retirement age. 

The New Zealand-born golfer has twenty LPGA triumphs, seven LET successes, and two major championships. Hence, the golfer has a pretty bright future ahead, but she is willing to end her career quite early. But, why does she want to make such a decision at this point? 

LPGA Tour pro Lydia Ko delineates her thoughts about retirement and the reason behind it

As we know, young Ko once admitted that she’d rather retire early than play with fragile bones. Reiterating the same, the LPGA Tour Pro was asked whether she shared the same mentality now or if her mindset has changed. 

In the Golf SubPar podcast, the 26-year-old golfer was questioned whether she planned on playing twenty more years, to which she replied,

“To be honest, no. I think when I was younger, I said I want to retire when I’m 30, and now I’m inching closer to 30, I’m like, four years is still a long time from now.”

This interview took place after her marvelous win at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Moreover, the LPGA Tour Pro is now planning to take a week off and relax before she tees up next. 

Lydia Ko continued her thoughts about retirement and said,

“For every single player, I think that until that moment comes, you really don’t know. Like, I could say 30, or, like, 28, but who knows, I could play until like 35.”

Added to that, Ko kept explaining her mindset about the sport,

“That’s the beauty of golf, is that as long as we’re healthy and fit, we can really do this for a long time and age is maybe not as relevant as in sports like swimming or other sports…I’m definitely past the halfway point in my career.”

Lydia Ko turned professional in 2016 and became the world No. 1 in 2017, which would mark her as one of the youngest to achieve that feat in golf history. Despite her birthday being two months away, the LPGA Tour pro has stuck to her resolution of ending her career at an early age.

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at The SportsRush. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

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