Ko puts coach on upswing
Renowned golf instructor Sean Foley made a heartfelt tribute to Lydia Ko, crediting the Kiwi for revitalising his passion for coaching.
Since teaming with Foley midway through last year, Ko has improved dramatically, finishing in the top 10 in nine of her last 16 starts, culminating in Sunday’s victory at the Lotte Championship – her first LPGA title in almost three years.
The result has seen the former world No 1 climb back into the top 10 rankings for the first time since 2017, with Ko rising to seventh ahead of her next appearance at the LA Open, which starts tomorrow morning.
But while much has been made of Ko’s resurgence under Foley, it turns out the Canadian swing coach, who has tutored the likes of Tiger Woods and Justin Rose, has benefited from the relationship just as much as she has.
Earlier this month, after Ko set the final-round major championship scoring record at the ANA Inspiration, Foley told GOLF.com that if he ‘‘were to design a daughter, it would be Lydia’’. ‘‘She’s just so special and amazing.’’
Following her win in Hawaii, Foley shared a lengthy Instagram post revealing just how important the 23-year-old has been to his career.
‘‘I have to admit when I started working with ‘Lyds’, I was at a crossroads,’’ Foley wrote.
‘‘After 13 years coaching on the PGA Tour, and accomplishing so much but at the same time, bruised and bleeding from all of my failures and not feeling like I was enough more often than I wanted to.
‘‘I have seen the sunset from the highest professional summit, only to realise that night was near. It was dark, freezing and seemingly not worth it. Trying to be a husband and a father, but not present in either as my perception of my work became my identity. My tattoos were reminders of when I had more clarity, they now seemed like a lie.’’
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit last year, Foley had the time to do some soul-searching.
Despite living ‘‘my dream’’ and achieving so much success, the 47-yearold Canadian still felt empty and was left asking himself, ‘‘why do I coach?’’
‘‘The next day I get a phone call from Lydia,’’ Foley continued.
‘‘As we started to work I started to remember why I started to do this for a living in the first place. I develop as I develop others.
‘‘We are all one. If I improve you, I improve. I am giving the advice I need to hear the most, until one day I am a walking example of it, an energy that makes all things around me vibrate.’’
Foley concluded the post by thanking Ko along with several other golfers he has coached during his career, including Woods, Rose, Danny Willett, Cameron Champ and Hunter Mahan.