A year ago, Lydia Ko came to the ANA Inspiration on the heels of her first victory of the 2016 season at the KIA Classic. She was the favorite for the first major of the year, having also won the last major of 2015.

She won. She took the leap. She would win twice more last year. She battled with Ariya Jutanugarn for Player of the Year honors for the duration of the season, eventually being nipped by the Thai superstar, but remained atop the Rolex Rankings and, going into this year’s ANA, she remains No.1 in the world.

But after all that success last year, she decided it was time for a change.

Swing coach? New. Caddie? Different. Equipment? Replaced. Clothing? She started her own line. Shoes? Slid on something else.

She admits the changes are exciting. And, for the better.

“I’m more excited than worried,” Ko says. “I’m really liking the progress I’ve seen. I had a great team, now it’s nice to see another great team together. It’s been really exciting. From the shoes, the clothing, the clubs and caddy and coach. It seems like a lot of changes but to me it’s taking me back to my rookie year and that’s not a bad memory to go back to.”

Ko explains going back to the basics has been good for her mentally. Last week at the KIA Classic she missed just the second cut of her LPGA Tour career, but prior to that she had notched three top-10 finishes.

Last year’s ANA was a bit of a precursor for the rest of the year, as Ko and Jutanugarn were tied going into the final round and battled down the stretch. Ko fired a 3-under-par 69 while Jutanugarn put up a 1-under-par 71 after bogeying her final three holes.

It wasn’t the last time Ko and Jutanugarn battled it out, and Ko admits she needs to work hard to keep up with the 21-year-old.

“Ariya played so well last year. Obviously it wasn’t the greatest end to the ANA, but she won a lot after that. She just played consistently well,” says Ko. “She’s going to continue to keep playing well and go for those trophies. Ever since she was an amateur I’ve seen what kind of talented player she is, and that (was) just the start.”

Ko eventually won by a shot over In Gee Chun and Charley Hull after sticking her approach on the 72nd hole to 14 inches, setting up an easy birdie and the win.

“Every shot is special in its own way, like every win is special, because every tournament is so different. But just playing the 72nd hole, birdieing the last hole, that’s always a good feeling. Obviously for that shot to mean that I would win the event makes it extra special,” Ko told LPGA.com last year.

With her victory, Ko became the youngest two-time major champion in LPGA Tour history, after becoming the youngest golfer ever (male or female) to win a major championship in the modern, post-1900 era at the Evian Championship.

After Ko won the Evian Championship, her first major title, she was eager to tee it up at the ANA Inspiration in 2016, riding some momentum from that six-shot victory in France.

“There was a special feeling I got when I won (a major). Those first two major wins gave me the confidence to say ‘hey, I can really do this,’” she says. “That’s a huge thing. Not only just winning the major, but the confidence boost you get so then you know you can possibly win another one.”

And the leap into Poppie's Pond? That was a dream-come-true.

“It obviously has been one of my dreams to take that leap, and I think it was extra special because I wasn’t just jumping in by myself, but with everyone around me. It was a very exciting finish,” she says.

With two majors under her belt (a re-designed belt at that, as she partnered with MCKAYSON for the MCKAYSON LK Line of apparel in January) Ko now has her sights set on the highest of mountains on the LPGA Tour: the career grand slam.

Ko has gone through a lot of changes in the 12 months since the last ANA Inspiration, but one thing that hasn’t changed is her desire to win.

“Every tournament is special in its own way, but it’s a really big goal of mine to win the grand slam,” she says, having already notched 2-T3-T3 finishes in the other three majors. “The talent on the LPGA Tour is incredible, and you just don’t know who can win every week. I have to work hard to get to that goal.”

Lydia Ko Defends Title at ANA Inspiration

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