by JAMES S. KIM | @james_s_kim
editor@charactermedia.com
There’s no denying that Lydia Ko has had her head in the game since winning her first professional golf event as a 15-year-old amateur. Now still only 17, the Korean New Zealander is already looking ahead to what she wants to do beyond her professional golf career, and it has to do with studying what goes on inside heads.
“I say my plan is to retire when I’m 30 so I’m not just going to go to the beach and hang out for the rest of my life,” Ko told Golf Digest on Wednesday. “There’s always a second career that comes along with it and I’m trying to build up towards it and, because I’m playing a sport, psychology links well with it.”
If you think 30 is an early age to hang up the golf clubs, Ko has done quite a bit already in her few years on the pro circuit. She became the LPGA’s youngest woman to win $1 million this last July. She’s won five times on tour, and on Jan. 31, Ko became the youngest player of either gender to be ranked first in the world rankings, breaking the record Tiger Woods set by almost four years. Last year, she was one of Time’s 100 Most Influential people.
Ko plans to begin an online course towards a psychology degree soon. “My mom will get me off my iPad and phone and tell me to work hard and look at the text books,” Ko said.
For now, seemingly the only accomplishment left is winning a major. This is only her second year as a pro, mind you, but Ko isn’t allowing the pressure to get to her. That’s a good sign for the future psychologist.
“Last year I had two top-10 finishes (in majors) which was better than the year before when I had one,” Ko said. “I’m looking for more consistency in playing majors and then one day that will give me a chance to be around the lead.”
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Featured image via Golf Digest
