Lydia Ko Only Missed Eight Royal Melbourne Greens
/It's entirely wonky but I don't care: big hat tip to Golf Channel's Michael Breed for highlighting on The Golf Fix the incredible achievement of Lydia Ko, who not only won the Australian Women's Open, but did it missing just eight of Royal Melbourne's elevated, contoured and not-easy-to-hit greens.
After hearing Breed say this on Golf Channel I ran a quick search and sure enough, the trusted Mark Hayes and Martin Blake covered the 17-year-old world No. 1's amazing feat in their post final round notes covering Ko's win.
Lydia Ko hit more greens in regulation than any other player in the field, 64 of 72, which tells you a lot about her method.
Keep in mind that while not a "hilly" course, there is never a flat stance at Royal Melbourne. Many of the greens are elevated, heavily contoured, firm and incredibly fast. After watching PGA Tour pros struggle with Riviera's firmer-than-normal greens, I can only marvel at Ko's consistency at such a demanding course.
Speaking of Ko's win, Fred Woodcock noted this about her addition of body art that some might have noticed during the telecast from Royal Melbourne.
There are the obvious ones, such as prizemoney of about $4 million, the addition of four LPGA Tour wins, a rise from No 4 to No 1 in the world rankings, winning the LPGA Tour's season-long points race, and ditching her spectacles for contact lenses.
And there are the less obvious ones, such as a new Callaway driver (it's going well), some subtle swing changes (they are going well, too), more focus on physical training, and even the addition of some ink on a wrist.
Yes, the teen is "tatted up". The date of her first LPGA Tour win as a pro, at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in April last year, is now inked on her right wrist.
"My parents were there and I felt like it was a very memorable win so I got that tatted up."
**Derek Lawrenson on Ko, including this about her poise and ability to close the deal:
Could she live up to her billing? As ever, Ko took it all in her uniquely impressive stride. Even when she stumbled early on during the final round on Sunday she did not panic, getting back on track with a spectacular eagle three.
‘That’s Lydia,’ says her coach David Leadbetter, who achieved fame tutoring Sir Nick Faldo. ‘She walks on this cloud and never gets overly excited or overly down.’
Just to remind the world of her age, Ko broke into a fit of giggles walking down the 72nd fairway before putting the finishing touches to a classy two-shot victory.
It was, believe it or not, her ninth win as a professional, and six of them have been achieved on the LPGA Tour, the toughest circuit in the women’s game.
