Lydia Ko, a member of golf’s Hall of Fame at just 27 and one of the game’s superstars, will be highly fancied to take the HSBC Women’s World Championship, which begins at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club on Thursday.
But on the eve of the event, known widely as ‘Asia’s Major,’ all anybody wanted to talk about was the Kiwi’s appearance on this month’s cover of fashion magazine, Vogue Korea.
“It was so much fun,” the wold No 3 golfer said after playing in the morning pro-am prior to the event. “It was obviously my first experience, really, of being on a fashion magazine outside of golf clothes and my hat.
“To have hair extensions, hair down, wearing amazing clothes, it was so much fun. I’m honestly not envious of the models who do this quite often. It’s a lot of work and a lot of people to make that cover shoot the way it is.
“But I was super proud and excited at the way it turned out and obviously very grateful to Vogue for giving me that opportunity. It’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Yeah, I had a great time,” she said “But modelling is probably not in my near future.”
Ko, who won Olympic gold in Paris last year, will be making her 11th appearance at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. She is coming off an outstanding 2024, when she won three times – the Tournament of Champions, the AIG Women’s Open and Kroger Queen City Championship.
Those wins, plus another eight top-10 finishes, saw her resume her place at the top of women’s world golf after a season or two of performances that were not up to her own high standards.
“I was most proud that I was able to overcome some of my fears and doubts,” she said. “Maybe less than a year before, I remember I was sitting with my sister and having a discussion on whether I was ever going to be in the winner’s circle again.
“It’s like, did my golf drastically change? Probably not. But what goes on between the two ears is really important, and I think that can be a big factor – not only for that round or that day, but really what’s coming up, as well.”
Cover girl Lydia Ko.
Ko has been quoted as saying she might not play on after her 30th birthday.
“Thirty is a long way to go,” she said. “I’m 27 now. Soon turning 28. I’m just trying to honestly take it day by day. My schedule has changed. I’ve gone from thinking I was going to play 10, 15 events this year to now playing over 20.
“I will reassess during the middle of the season – like where I am with my energy levels, to me thinking, am I going to play more or less.
“It definitely doesn’t get any easier,” she said. “It’s easier in the sense that I’ve come to these kind of golf courses and I kind of know what to expect, and I’m not like a rookie getting used to these types of tournaments and courses.
“But it all builds up at the end of the day. I’m obviously very grateful for everything that I’ve gotten through the sport, and I want to play the best golf while I’m still playing, and that’s obviously the biggest goal for me right now.”
A field of 66 golfers, including nine of the world’s top 10, will tee it up on Thursday, competing for a title that has been claimed by a major winner on 14 of the 16 occasions it has been played.
Inside Golf is a media sponsor for the tournament, which will be telecast by Fox Sports.
