LYDIA KO OPENS UP ABOUT END OF YEAR CHANGES

I copied the link and inserted the picture.

It's a good piece, it elaborated the thought processes Lydia went through.

So now we know why lpga.com has remained silent for 10 days...Amy Rogers has been on the phone non stop to many others so she could piece together the above.

"But on January 7, as Ko began her day of practice at Champions Gate, Ko’s instructors were largely absent.

Hogan spent the morning instructing a group of Europeans who made a vacation out of visiting the Academy. Leadbetter was locked in on the driving range with Michelle Wie with whom he shared a 14-year relationship that dwarfed the two years he’d spent with Ko.


It seemed unusual for the world’s top-ranked player, coming off a record breaking season on Tour, to be practicing on her own.

But Ko wasn’t alone.


It was her father who was by her side, chasing balls around the green as his daughter practiced her short game. They didn’t speak much as he gently tossed golf balls onto the ground for his daughter and gestured to her to move from the grass into the sand. It was a comfortable, choreographed dance that the two had likely performed hundreds if not thousands of times before. After a break for lunch, Ko headed to the practice putting green where her mother kept her company. A camera crew asked Leadbetter and Hogan to come over in order to get some video of them together. They agreed.

It was a familiar scene that would play out around the world throughout 2016 with Ko’s parents stepping in when Leadbetter and Hogan were absent and vice versa"

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Come on.....it's not that unusual to see a Korean parent raking balls for their kids.....come here to Asia Central and you'll see plenty of Korean parents fawning over their kid's needs at the course.
And let's not forget about BJ raking balls on the practice green at events....you've all seen it for those who have attended LPGA events...all the while....BJ's employee, MW's loop, is often by by the fence doing nothing.

As much as the article makes you believe it was unusual for Ko to practice alone....I'm sure Lydia didn't think it was unusual .......Lydia knows DL & Sean have other students.....both were not exclusive to the Wunderkind.

Yup....Tina and Gil who I believe don't play golf to any degree of skill...stepping in for DL and Sean when they aren't able to attend events....LMAO

Come on Amy....do you think your audience is that naive??

Like hot stove baseball, these things keep LPGA conversation going during the off-season.   But it can't hide the fact that Lydia is at a career crossroad at age 19.

My thesis is that Lydia as we know, swing change or not, won't win as much in the future because of competition. She didn't face the likes of new Ariya, non-rookie In Gee, seasoned Brooke and long hitting Sung Hyun during 2012-2016 when she won all her events.

Leadbetter certainly helped Se Ri but it is my understanding that she had a great, more natural game before she hooked up him. Leadbetter might not be for everybody but he certainly helped more than he hurt.


My beef with Leadbetter is he is too much of a self promoter. You posted a link the other day about the great teachers. One of them was the late, Manuel de la Torre at the Milwaukee Country Club. The article mentioned that he only charged $80 per hour. To me, that's a teacher, he was a great man.  That's why he was the head pro for so long at one of the best country clubs in the world.  

I recall Leadbetter was similarly pissy when Se Ri left him back in 98 or so. He basically said that she was on a downward spiral and would never win again. The following season she had 4 wins and finished second on the money list behind Webb (and ahead of Annika).

Didn't he also whine when Tutta left him for Butch too.