News and Notes: Rd.4 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship

ADD IT TO THE LIST

Ko added on more accolades to her already impressive record in the women’s game with her victory this week and wrote her name under another record category, this time youngest to 10 wins. Ko breaks Nancy Lopez’s record by nearly 3 1/2 years. Horton Smith was the youngest to 10 wins on the men’s side at 21 year, 7 months.

“I actually met her in Cleveland for an outing a couple months ago,” said Ko. “She’s such an amazing person and an amazing golfer. To have beaten her record, it’s an honor.”

LPGA TOUR - YOUNGEST TO REACH 10 WINS

Lydia Ko, 18 years, 6 months, and 1 day, 2015 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship

Nancy Lopez, 22 years, 2 months, 5 days, 1979 Sunstar Classic

Yani Tseng, 22 years, 6 months, 8 days, 2011 RICOH Women’s British Open

Marlene Hagge, 22 years, 6 months, 10 days, 1956 Denver Open

OTHER NOTABLES

Horton Smith - 21 years, 7 months (men’s record)

Tiger Woods – 23 years, 6 months, 4 days

Jack Nicklaus – 24 years, 3 months, 12 days

Rory McIlroy – 25 years, 11 months, 29 days

Annika Sorenstam – 26 years, 7 months, 23 days

CONVENIENTLY CONSISTENT

Ko shot all four rounds in the 60’s this week with rounds of 69-67-67-65. She’s previously done it three times in her career, winning two of those times. She also shot three rounds in the 60’s on two occasions at the three-round Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (2013, 2014).

LYDIA KO - ALL ROUNDS IN THE 60’S (FOUR-ROUND EVENTS)

LOST SLEEP FOR NOTHING

Lydia Ko admitted to not sleeping well on her four-shot 54-hole lead on Saturday night and said that she thought her recent close calls in her past two events in Asia (T4 in Korea and T2 in Malaysia) were meant to be. But her time was clearly now this week.

“I don’t know why, but last night, I couldn’t sleep as well as the other times,” said Ko. “Normally I could just sleep well and doesn’t matter if I have a one-shot lead or two shots behind or whatever. But last night, I woke up during the middle of the night, and I’m a pretty heavy sleeper. So yeah, I was kind of surprised at that.”

Ko said she exchanged texts with coaches David Leadbetter and Sean Hogan and they encouraged her to stick to her normal game plan and to stay aggressive.

“After that, I kind of felt like, hey, you’ve just got to go with your game plan,” said Ko. “David Leadbetter and Sean texted me saying, ‘I know you have a four-shot lead, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to play it safe. Just going with your game plan and just kind of go with it.’ I think that’s what I tried to do today, and I think it worked out good. Because I was aggressive on some holes, I was able to give myself a couple more birdie opportunities.”

Ko’s impressive final round of 65 gave her a dominating nine-stroke victory and improved her record to four career wins while holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.  

LYDIA KO’S RECORD WITH THIRD-ROUND LEAD

SHOW ME THE EAGLES

Five total eagles were made on the weekend at the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship and players raised $5,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project as part of the season-long Wounded Warrior Project® Weekends.

In all there have been 237 eagles recorded in 2015, raising $237,000.

Wounded Warrior Project® Weekends is a season-long charity program that will be tied into the Race to the CME Globe. Each Saturday and Sunday at LPGA tournaments, CME Group will donate $1,000 to Wounded Warrior Project® for each eagle that is recorded. This amount will increase to $5,000 for each eagle during the weekend of the CME Group Tour Championship and a formal check will be presented to the Wounded Warrior Project® during the trophy ceremony at the CME Group Tour Championship. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

QUOTABLE

“I think she’s nicer than me, first of all and she’s never going to give me any crap or talk behind my back.”

-Lydia Ko on whether any smack talk will start between her and Inbee Park in the back-and-forth battle for world No. 1