Lydia’s on Don’s leader board
First it was New Zealand’s oldest golfing great, and now our youngest sensation has been revered as ‘‘something special’’ by Donald Trump.
The US presidential hopeful this week praised Kiwi Lydia Ko – the world’s top female player – during a wide-ranging interview with TIME.
It’s not the first time the avid golf fan has praised our own. In February, during a ‘‘random’’ exchange with Kiwi journalist Patrick Gower during a debate in Texas, Trump professed his admiration for Sir Bob Charles.
This week, Trump was being quizzed on a range of topics – from policy issues to why the South lost the American Civil War.
When asked why he thought he could do things other people could not, Trump responded by referencing American golfing great Jack Nicklaus, baseball legend Babe Ruth and New Zealand’s own Ko.
‘‘Why is it? Because – I don’t know. It’s just different. It’s like, why is it that Jack Nicklaus won so many golf tournaments? Right?
‘‘Why is it that Babe Ruth could hit more home runs than all the teams in the American League? Right? They said to him, ‘Babe, how do you hit the long ball?’ And he said, ‘I don’t know, man, I just swing at it.’ Which is sort of cool.
‘‘On the Golf Channel, they said to her [Ko], ‘When you bring the club up, how do you bring it down? What’s your thought?’ She said, ‘I don’t know. I don’t really have a thought’. It’s just something special.’’
Trump saw her play when making a quick stop to watch last year’s women’s British Open at Turnberry Golf Club.
Ko, 19, finished that tournament in a tie for third.