KROGER QUEEN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY P&G

September 22, 2024

Lydia Ko

TPC River's Bend

Press Conference

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THE MODERATOR: All right here with the winner of the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, Lydia Ko. We'll make this one short. We know you have a very important flight to catch to Korea.

With the week, just another win for you, your first back-to-back start win since 2016. What's been this whole stretch from Olympics to Hall of Fame, AIG, and now here? What has this whole stretch been like for you?

LYDIA KO: Yeah, it's been pretty surreal. I think the closer you get I think in ways doubts come into your mind and you never know like, oh, what if I am that one point away and it never happens.

For the most part I think I was able to handle the situation pretty well. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I now would've gone into the Hall of Fame through winning the gold in Paris and then winning my first major since 2016 at the AIG Women's Open.

I mean, the European swing was some of the best golf I had played. I was very grateful for that span of weeks, few weeks. It was nice to take a few weeks off.

When you do take that kind of time off, doesn't necessarily mean that the form is going to continue. But I played really solid on the first day and just kept giving myself a lot of good opportunities. Even though there are some tougher holes out here at TPC River's Bend I felt really comfortable out there.

I wanted to post a good score today to kind of give myself a good run at it. I wouldn't have guessed coming into today that I was going to shoot 9-under. To be able to do that is definitely a cool way to cap off this week.

Q. That round looked easy out there. How easy does golf feel right now with the way you're playing, the way you're ball striking, the way you're putting at this moment?

LYDIA KO: I don't think it's ever easy. You know, you could win by ten strokes and still never feel like it was an easy round. I know that I'm playing alongside the best female golfers and I've just got to focus until that last putt drops on the last hole.

I just want to give it my all. My ball striking has been a part of my game that I feel like has improved a lot and something that I'm more and more comfortable with, especially coming down the stretch when there are big things on the line.

For that to be better I think that takes a little stress off my short game. It goes hand in hand, because when your ball striking is good you feel like you're not putting or chipping as well. I think I would rather that way around than feeling stressed to make up and down on half of the holes that I play.

Yeah, it's been improving a lot and I feel like I progressed a lot. Whether it's actually with my technique, also the mental side of things as well.

So that's kind of the aspect I'm most proud of. I feel like I'm able to hand these situations a lot better than maybe a couple months ago yeah.

Q. Jeeno was just up here and was complimenting you as somebody she really looks up to you. What does that mean to hear that from a player that I guess you were in her shoes a few years ago?

LYDIA KO: Yeah, I asked her what year she was born yesterday. I knew she was young, but she's so mature. She's a name that we've heard for a really long time, teen phenomenon. She was like I'm, 21. I was like, what?

I mean, she's so impressive. I've been able to play alongside her the last three years she's been on tour. She hits the ball a long way and she has such good composure out there.

I think that's one of the strengths of her game. I remember in Arkansas we played the first round or the second round together and she gave me a hug and said, like, something along the lines of like hey I know it hasn't been the way that I wanted to end last year, my season but you're somebody I really look up to.

That meant a lot to me. We're still competing and still hoping that I'm going to be the one that's hoisting the trophy, and as competitors for her to say something like that, it means a lot.

I feel grateful to be able to play alongside these players like Jeeno because I know they're going to keep pushing me and motivate me to keep improving.

Q. Congratulations.

LYDIA KO: Thank you.

Q. Coming in from afar. I recall a few times you saying you really didn't know what would happen once you got into the Hall of Fame, if you were to win the gold medal how would you react. Would you want ton keep playing or call it quits, what would the feeling be. It seems like with your career grand slam goal you were just telling Amy about you have been reinvigorated by the whole thing; is that fair to say?

LYDIA KO: Yeah, Lorena Ochoa is somebody I really look up to. I hoped that my career would be quite similar too. Retiring when I'm still playing well. I think I've always said that I would rather retire and then at one point say, oh, if I kept playing maybe I could have won a few more than retire at a point where I feel like I should have left the game a long time ago.

I don't know when that moment is right now. I enjoyed these past three weeks and it was great being home and not to live out of my suitcase. While I'm competitively playing it's good to have goals. The career grand slam seems too far out there, but what has happened the past couple months have been that extent of craziness I guess.

So I just wanted to set a goal that was something that I can work towards and whether that's happens or not isn't as important. It's just more the drive for me to keep wanting to put myself in contention and hopefully be the one holding the trophy at the end of the week more and more after this week as well.