KO STAYING PATIENT
Following last week at the Marathon Classic, Lydia Ko has now gone a calendar year without winning on the LPGA Tour and will look to change that at the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open.
“I hope so, at least,” Ko said when asked if she feels like it’s only a matter of time before she starts winning again. “I know that I need to work hard and put in the time and effort, and things will come. Just because I haven’t won in a year or so doesn’t mean I’m playing bad golf. I think the big key is to stay patient and just to be able to trust myself.”
The 14-time LPGA winner admitted that it isn’t always the easiest to stay patient.
“It’s easy to say but it’s hard to do,” Ko explained. “I know that you just have to keep your head up high and just focus on what’s going on right now and what I need to work on, rather than think about what has happened in the past.
“I think that’s really important going forward is I’ve just got to look at what’s going on at this moment and what I need to prove and what I need to improve. Now I’ve obviously been fortunate to be able to play some really good golf, and I think that will be a huge experience factor and I think being patient is going to be the key for me until hopefully that next win.”
PETTERSEN EXCITED FOR BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS IN SCOTLAND
Suzann Pettersen is one of the numerous LPGA players who is excited to be spending the next two weeks in Scotland stating at this week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open.
“From a player’s standpoint, I think it’s nice to get two weeks, because I think sometimes it takes more than just a couple days to adapt to links golf, especially coming from the U.S. where everything is quite a different game,” Pettersen said. “So from a player’s standpoint, I think it’s an ultimate warm up for our fourth major coming up. That I think is ideal. The LPGA back in the U.K. for a second week, I think it’s fantastic to co-sanction with the best of the European players. I think it’s a great challenge for us as much as it’s kind of a change of scenery for the U.S. players, as well. I think it’s a good mix and I’m sure there’s going to be a good display of golf here over the next few days.”
HOMETOWN HERO CATRIONA MATTHEW HOPING FOR HAT TRICK
Catriona Matthew will be looking for her third Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open title this week.
“Yeah, obviously it would be great,” Matthew said with a smile. “I mean, obviously now it’s co-sanctioned and it’s a much bigger event now. Played here a couple of times and know the course well, and looking forward to getting out there and playing.”
Matthew hoping for a strong finish to earn herself a role as a playing vice-captain on Annika Sorenstam’s European Solheim Cup team.
“Yeah, obviously these are a big two weeks for me,” Matthew said. “Feel as though I’m playing well. Come around in the last month. Maybe just haven’t produced the scores yet. It’s a big two weeks for me and hopefully get a good couple of tournaments.”
DEFENDING CHAMPION ISABELLE BOINEAU HAS LOFTY GOALS
Defending Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open champion Isabelle Boineau is excited to defend her title against the LPGA’s best this week.
“I’m really happy and proud to have won last year in Scotland, the Home of Golf,” Boineau said. “Yeah, I’m really happy to be here and I really enjoy this course, as you know. And I’m really happy the LET and LPGA co-sanctioned. I get to be paired with really good players, like World Ranking top players. Very happy to learn from them and to beat them hopefully.”
Boineau has changed nearly everything in her game since last year’s victory in an effort to reach her goals.
“I would like to play in the Top-50 in the world,” Boineau said. “When you play tournaments like the U.S. Open or the Evian or the British, it just makes you want to compete with these players. So I think I have a couple more years; I’m 28 years old, but I don’t have 15 years or ten years. I have a bit less, so I think now I’m going to put everything that I can towards these goals and put my mind to it and you know, the next two or three years, work as hard as I can and hopefully I’ll reach the Top-50 in the world. We’ll see if I fail or if I succeed, but at least I will have tried.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It just shows the amount of talent level and I think some people underestimate the amount of talent on our tour. I think it’s great and you can see by the end of the year how many first-time winners we have. This year I think it’s incredible to have those 18 different winners and only two of them to have won twice this year.
You know, it just makes it exciting and week-in, week-out, it’s not, hey, is the top three going to win. It’s more, hey, you actually have no idea who is going to win because so many people are playing well and putting themselves consistently in contention. I think it’s great for golf and great for this tour, and you know, especially because there are so many nationalities in those 18, it just brings the whole world together, and I think a lot of juniors to people can be inspired by what’s going on right now.”
-Lydia Ko on the depth on the LPGA Tour