Olympic champion on why she’s been reluctant to show off gold medal en route to Scotland

Lydia Ko, the newly crowned Olympic women’s golf champion, is not one to boast about her achievements. On a blustery day at Dundonald Links in Scotland, as the wind and rain swept in, Ko remained humble despite her remarkable success. She reflected on her recent triumph while preparing for the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, an event she considered skipping if she became the Olympic champion. True to her word, she remained focused on using this tournament as preparation for the upcoming AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.

Ko’s latest achievement at the Olympic Games in Paris saw her complete an extraordinary collection of medals. After winning a silver medal in Rio in 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo in 2021, she added the gold medal to her collection at Le Golf National. Despite her success, Ko admitted she hadn’t yet had the time to fully appreciate her new gold medal. “It’s been in my backpack,” she said with a smile, noting that she hadn’t even placed it in its case yet. This nonchalant attitude is characteristic of Ko, who has been destined for greatness since becoming the youngest-ever winner of a professional event at just 14.

Ko confessed that she hadn’t looked at her latest medal in a couple of days and mentioned that she hasn’t even seen her Rio or Tokyo medals since the days she won them. Now that she has three Olympic medals, she mused that it might be time to find a special place to display them all together. The 27-year-old’s victory in Paris also secured her place as the youngest inductee into the LPGA’s Hall of Fame, a feat she described as feeling “like a dream” and “pretty surreal.”

When asked about the congratulatory messages she had received, Ko expressed her gratitude for the support from fellow Hall of Famers, including Nancy Lopez, Meg Mallon, and Beth Daniel. Lopez, in particular, has been a mentor to Ko, offering wisdom and encouragement. Ko also mentioned how touched she was by the support of her peers, saying, “I think as a player and like somebody that’s involved, we all know how hard it is. So like we are all going on this journey together.”

Ko has always been a popular figure in the golf world, but her latest Olympic triumph has the potential to inspire a new generation of female golfers. She reflected on the significance of golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016 and the challenges posed by the Zika virus and COVID-19 during the past two Games. With the Paris Olympics finally seeing golf fully integrated into the Games, Ko hopes that more young athletes, not just golfers, will be inspired to dream of becoming Olympians. “If I can do it, they can do it, too, for sure,” she said.

Ko is now setting her sights on another milestone: a win on Scottish soil, specifically at St Andrews. Although she has not had much success at the Open Championship in the past, with her best finish being a joint-third place in 2015, she is eager to contend next week. Ko’s goals are clear: she hopes to win another major championship before she retires from competitive golf, although she is unsure when that time will come. With two of the biggest events of her season approaching, Ko is ready to take on the challenge and continue to inspire the next generation of athletes.