Ko must embrace added expectation
Fellow women’s golf young gun Brooke Henderson is encouraging Lydia Ko to embrace the extra expectation and pressure of hosting an LPGA event on home soil this week.
More than any other player in the field, Canadian star Henderson will know what Kiwi counterpart Ko is feeling when she steps onto the first tee for the first round of the New Zealand Women’s Open tomorrow.
That’s because Henderson has been there before, being the centre of attention as the standout player from your country at the only event it has on the LPGA Tour calendar.
For Ko at the Windross Farm course near Auckland this week, it is a position magnified by two factors.
Not only is the world No 8 the highest ranked player in the field, she comes into the tournament on the back of two top-three finishes, having seemingly broken out of the most significant form slump of her otherwise stellar career.
Having played her national open as a professional three times, with a best finish of tied for 12th this year, Henderson explained what that experience was like.
‘‘Absolutely it does,’’ the world No 12 said yesterday when asked if playing host adds to levels of expectation and pressure.
‘‘But it’s a great opportunity to embrace it. You know they’re all behind you and all there to support you. Of course you want to play well and for me in Canada, it is one of the highlights of my career.
‘‘To feel that support you feel from all around the world but to have them right there, the amount of people who come out to support is really amazing.
‘‘Hopefully that is the same for Lydia and she is able to embrace it, play well and put on a good show.’’
It is something Henderson, of course, hopes she can also do this week.
Still just 20, the same age as Ko, the affable Canadian is a four-time LPGA tournament winner and beat Ko in a playoff for her first major championship crown at last year’s Women’s PGA Championship.
The latest of those victories was in June, while she also has four other top 10s in 2017, including a tied fifth in Indianapolis before she struggled to 58th at last week’s final major of the year, the Evian Championship.
As for her chances this week, Henderson was cautiously optimistic.
‘‘This is not a style of course I generally play a lot of and it’s playing very firm, which is because it’s such a new course.
‘‘It’s more a links style and in the past I’ve played better on treelined courses but I’m looking forward to the challenge, and if the wind stays up it’s going to be.’’
Despite that unfamiliarity, Henderson is arguably the second favourite behind Ko and a player of the young Canadian’s calibre certainly can’t be discounted.
She will also be able to fly under the radar somewhat, with so much of the attention on Ko.
But, especially after the Kiwi’s strong results this month, it is not a factor Henderson is counting on.
‘‘[Lydia is] an amazing player, maybe she hasn’t had the season she was looking for this year but I know good things are going to continue to happen for her and she is going to get back on track.
‘‘Golf is a funny game. Sometimes you can play great and just not score as well and get results, sometimes it’s the opposite.
‘‘You’ve just got to be patient and ride the rollercoaster a bit, I’ve definitely learned that the last two years.’’