Ko struggling to remain
There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. We have no record of Oscar Wilde being any good with a sixiron from 160 metres, but he knew plenty about fame and success.
So did New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko. Once. Now she knows what it’s like to be not part of the conversation.
Ko’s success rate has plummeted in the past year and as 2019 draws to a close, the New Zealander has rarely been a sporting conversation in recent months.
And while that may seem an upgrade for her on the constant concerns over her displays midyear, it’s a worrying sign the former world No 1 is in danger of becoming a non-factor in women’s golf.
Ko turned pro in 2103 after dominating the amateur ranks – first at home and in Australia before regularly beating the world’s best.
In the paid ranks, she quickly began to match those achievements. She became the No 1 women’s player aged 17 years and nine months – the youngest of either gender to be the world’s best.
She set new marks by becoming the youngest player to win a major; then the youngest to win two.
When she was included in Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people a day before her 17th birthday, she was poised to become the new Tiger Woods.
But without the scandal and injuries that facilitated Woods’ downfall, the Kiwi has been on a steady downhill slide.
Ko will tee it up for the last time in the LPGA season at the Tour Championship starting on Friday in Florida.
But the 22-year-old’s form this year has been so unflattering only a few delusional fans will show any confidence in Ko being high up the leaderboard.
Ko has had 15 career wins on the tour, the last of which came 19 months ago.
She’s ranked 36th on the ‘Race to CME Globe’ standings, with 1018 points. Players ranked 56th and above have qualified to play in Florida and the 56th-ranked player has 707 points this season.
Contrast that with leader Jin Young Ko has 4148 points – so the Kiwi is effectively 10 times closer to not qualifying to play at the tournament than she is to the best player in the world currently.
Ko has had just four top-10 finishes this season – taking her LPGA career tally to 78.
Hence, her earnings this year have been US$429,905 (NZ$671,800) – in contrast with her best season, when she collected more than US$2.5 million (NZ$3.9 million)
Given the personable Ko has