5 Questions With

Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, hits from the seventh fairway during the first round of the NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament on Friday, June 27, 2014, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Beth Hall)
Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, hits from the seventh fairway during the first round of the NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament on Friday, June 27, 2014, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Beth Hall)

5 Questions with …

Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko of Auckland, New Zealand, is the third-ranked women’s player in the world behind Stacy Lewis and Inbee Park. Ko, 17, is in her first season on the LPGA Tour and won her first LPGA event in 2012, when she won the CN Canadian Women’s Open to become the first amateur to win an LPGA event since 1967. She has made the cut in every tournament she has entered as a professional:

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your first year as a professional?

A: I think it’s just not overdoing anything. I think playing your schedule to not be tired — golf is a sport where you can play for many, many years — so it’s kind of what you’re doing for the long run. That’s why I’ve been trying to take some tournaments off so that I can have some rest.”

Q: What do you like most about the tour stop here in Northwest Arkansas?

A: I just really like the area. The course itself is really pretty with all the really nice houses and all that. Yeah, I just remember having lots of fun here. I guess when you’re playing good you have a lot of fun, but I just really enjoyed it. That’s why I was excited to come back.

Q: People around here are excited that Stacy Lewis is ranked No. 1 in the world. Is that something you’re patient with or something you’d like to nab as soon as you can?

A: Hopefully that time will come for me, because that’s always been one of my big dreams and big goals. Stacy is playing pretty awesome. She came in second last week and the top 10 the week before. She’s playing pretty consistently good, which is, I think, what everybody would want to have. And, like I said, when that time comes I’ll be grateful to have it, but I don’t want to rush into things.

Q: You played the U.S. Women’s Open last week. Sometimes players like to take some time off after majors, but you’re getting right back at it this week. Do you prefer going right to another tournament following a major without a break?

A: I don’t really mind. This is actually one of my favorite tournaments I played last year, so I’m super excited to come back. I think playing pretty good golf last week definitely helps to make the transition much easier, especially after playing the Pinehurst greens.”

Q: Your last victory was in April, and you’ve had three top-15 finishes and two finishes in the top five since then. How do you feel about your game?

A: I just need to stay patient, just, I guess, be confident at the same time. I played good here last year, so to me it’s really good coming back to a course where I’ve played good at before. Yeah, you know, sometimes I’m not going to play as good of golf as I wanted to, but that’s why you need patience so that at the end of the day hopefully you can be holding a trophy.

— Vernon Tarver

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