The post Golf’s new Olympics event is a win for fans. It’s about time appeared first on Golf.

The post Golf’s new Olympics event is a win for fans. It’s about time appeared first on Golf.

Through the last three years of rancor in pro golf, one line in particular struck me unlike any other. It came from Rory McIlroy on a chilly morning at TPC Sawgrass in 2024. 

“To me, like this is the problem with a members’ organization,” McIlroy said. “Things are created for the members. Then once those things are created, you’ve got to go sell those things to fans, sponsors, media. To me, that seems a little backwards. 

“I think what needs to happen is you need to create things for the fans, for the sponsors, for the media, and then you have to go sell that to the players, tell them to get on board with that, because if they get on board and we’re all part of the business now, if the business does better, we do better. That seems pretty simple to me.”

Okay, that’s a lot more than just one line. But it is one distinct, clear point of view. That the entity of professional golf should create competition with fans, sponsors and media in mind, and then get the players on board. 

Though he was speaking about the PGA Tour when he said it 13 months ago, he might as well have been talking about the Olympics, and pro golf’s prioritization of it over the years. It takes time for people to change their minds and for new things to catch hold, and golf at the Olympics has learned that the hard way. It was a struggle to get the best players in the world to accept the minor risk of Zika virus at the 2016 games in Brazil, and some skipped the second modern Olympic event, which was held during Covid lockdown in Japan, televised in the middle of the night in America.

The Olympics has never felt like the pinnacle of the sport to the players — in contrast to some classic Olympic sports for which the Games are the pinnacle — but it has been wildly entertaining for fans and media. It gives us new elements of legacy to care about — like the Golden Slam — and new ways of promoting the sport we care about. It has been a slowly building wave, particularly for male golfers, that crested in 2024 on the outskirts of Paris. 

Golf fans showed up in the tens of thousands to Le Golf National, making Jason Day as nervous as he’s ever been on the 1st tee. Tom Kim ended his week in tears fighting for a medal on behalf of Korea. McIlroy himself admitted his shortsightedness in dismissing golf at the Olympics when it first came around. Which is a convenient segue to the news of last week: As if they were using McIlroy’s words as a decree, the International Golf Federation announced we’ll all be getting MORE golf at the Olympics. In 2028, at the famed Riviera Country Club, we’ll see the first mixed doubles Olympic Golf competition, a format fans have been begging for. 

Like clockwork, every four years a debate has surrounded the IGF’s staging of a classic tournament. Why isn’t there a doubles golf competition? Why can’t we get Nelly Korda to pair up with Scottie Scheffler? 

The IGF knows the complications. Scheduling is chief among them. The Olympics weeks have contorted the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour schedules every four years — wedging an extra week of commitment into early August, one of the busiest months on the pro golf calendar. For the men, last year meant sticking around after the Open Championship in Europe before jetting back for the FedEx Cup playoffs. For the women, it meant leaving Europe from the Evian, to go back to the States for a few weeks, only to head back to Europe for nearly the entirety of August. (Lydia Ko made the most of it, winning the Olympics and the Women’s Open.)

News

That scheduling difficulty is made easier by the next Olympics being set in Los Angeles, not far from where most of these pros live. But future Olympiads will be Australia in 2032 and parts unknown in 2036 (aka, far from home). If mixed doubles is part of the future, it will require some serious commitment beyond what the modern player is used to.

“I’m a big advocate of don’t knock on it until you try it,” Xander Schauffele said in Paris. “My only issue with it would be sort of the run of events; it being two weeks in a row. If you take it for what we have now, we are playing this tournament, we have one week off and then we have three weeks in a row for our playoffs. It would be sticky to do two tournaments in a row and because of that, you may lose some guys.”

When presented with the idea of a 36-hole day, to get move things as quickly as possible, Schauffele was blunt. 

“It’s still more golf. Even if we were to play — it would be one day in between maybe and then I start 36 holes, and then you get back with four days to go, three weeks of playoffs in a row is a lot.”

It sure would be. Which is why Schauffele’s opinion will not a unique one. Luckily, every player who has won a medal has been overcome with so much emotion that a very easy argument exists: Whatever, man. It’ll be worth it.

Clear winners here? The fans. Golf fans are presented with 72-hole stroke play tournaments almost every week of the calendar year. The men’s tour no longer has a match-play tournament. The two-player team events — on both sides — net out to mostly hit-and-giggle romps. The PGA and LPGA Tours have combined to field a December mixed event — known as the Grant Thornton Invitational — but it offers way more corporate influence than substance. So yes, the golf viewing experience is largely homogenous. Which is why this news has a certain zest to it. Some of the best golfers in the world are going to play six straight days of competition, all in pursuit of something special (two somethings, now), and we get to benefit from watching something new, filled with passion and the intrigue of a mixed event with everybody chasing a spot on the podium.

The men will play their 72-hold event first, followed by one team round of alternate shot and another team round of fourballs, after which the women will compete in their individual competition. The qualifiers for mixed doubles will exclusively be those already qualified for the singles comp. If they can find a counterpart from their home country, they’ll have a team, with the entrants limited to one team per country. 

Last year’s teams would have included:

-Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda

-Tom Kim and Jin Young Ko

-Carl Yuan and Ruoning Yin 

-Matthieu Pavon and Celine Boutier 

-Jason Day and Hannah Green 

-Tommy Fleetwood and Charley Hull 

-Hideki Matsuyama and Yuka Saso 

-Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Jeeno Thitikul 

-Rory McIlroy and Leona Maguire 

-Nick Taylor and Brooke Henderson

-Ryan Fox and Lydia Ko

-Ludvig Aberg and Maja Stark 

-Jon Rahm and Carlota Ciganda 

-Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Ashleigh Buhai 

-Carlos Ortiz and Gaby Lopez 

The intrigue would stretch into the pre-Olympics. Who would Viktor Hovland pair with? (Celine Borge was Norway’s top finisher in 2024.) We might get a pair of siblings as teammates. (Think Min Woo and Minjee Lee.) Rory McIlroy will be going for the Golden Slam, but does it count if he leans on Leona Maguire to claim gold? New questions. Good questions. And all coming to golf fans at last.

The tough part will be waiting.

The post Golf’s new Olympics event is a win for fans. It’s about time appeared first on Golf.

The post Olympics to add men’s and women’s mixed golf event for L.A. Games appeared first on Golf.

The post Olympics to add men’s and women’s mixed golf event for L.A. Games appeared first on Golf.

While much of the golf world was focused on the 2025 Masters, some huge news dropped involving another major golf event: the Olympics. For the first time, the next Summer Olympic Games will feature an event with men and women golfers from the LPGA and PGA Tours playing alongside each other. Here’s what we know.

Olympics mixed-team events

On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee released its full program of events for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and it included a huge surprise.

Amid the many events you’re familiar with were new mixed-team events featuring men and women in multiple sports. In addition to gymnastics and track and field, golf will be one of the few sports getting a mixed event.

“The mixed events are a real true embodiment of gender equality − men and women competing in the same team, on the same field of play for their country,” Kit McConnell, the IOC sports director, said in a press conference announcing the news. “We’ve seen the real success of these (mixed-team events). They bring something incredibly special for the athletes involved.”

All the golf events for the L.A. Games will be played at Riviera Country Club.

How would Olympic mixed golf work?

The Associated Press first reported that the Olympics were considering adding a mixed golf event back in early 2024. We didn’t learn any specifics about how the competition would actually work then. Now that the news is official, we still don’t have those details.

While we know the mixed golf event will exist alongside the current individual competitions, we don’t know how teams will be created, or how many teams will be involved. But you can start getting excited by imagining a fearsome U.S. team of Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda.

There is one existing men’s and women’s mixed event in pro golf that we can look to for context on how the Olympic event could be conducted.

At the Grant Thornton Invitational, which began in 2023, 16 teams featuring one PGA Tour and one LPGA Tour player compete in a three-round tournament. The first round is a scramble, followed by 18 holes of foursomes and then a final round under a modified four-ball format.

Jason Day and Lydia Ko triumphed at the inaugural Grant Thornton, with Jake Knapp and Patty Tavatanakit taking home the title in 2024.

The post Olympics to add men’s and women’s mixed golf event for L.A. Games appeared first on Golf.

The post Should caddies get Olympic medals? This one weighs in appeared first on Golf.

The post Should caddies get Olympic medals? This one weighs in appeared first on Golf.

The Indiana Pacers’ Tyrece Haliburton went viral after the Olympics by hilariously making light of his lack of playing time during Team USA Basketball’s run to Olympic gold.

“When you ain’t do nun on the group project and still get an A,” Haliburton wrote on Twitter, along with a photo of his gold medal.

Haliburton didn’t play any meaningful minutes for Team USA, but was still given a medal for being on the winning team.

That doesn’t happen in Olympic golf, as, for example, Scottie Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott, didn’t receive anything for helping Scheffler to Olympic gold. You could argue Scott played a whole lot more meaningful minutes than Haliburton did.

News

Scott’s fellow Team USA caddie, John Ellis, the looper for Wyndham Clark, wants to see that change. He says caddies for Olympic medalists should be getting medals too.

“I mean, it’s part of the team, right?” Ellis told GOLF in an interview this past week. “Like in basketball, some guys don’t play, you’re still part of that team. So I’d like to see in the future the caddie maybe be a part of it. I know it’s hard because then the swim coach might say they deserve it. Not that they do or don’t, but we’re actually in it. I’d like to think one day it could happen. But ultimately, it’s about our guys and we’re just trying to help them get a medal or play their best golf.”

GOLF chatted with Ellis on a number of topics to get a sense of what the Olympics was like for himself and the other caddies.

[This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.]

GOLF: You just came back from the Olympics in Paris. What’s different from the PGA Tour?

Ellis: As far as the golf and the tournaments, it’s not too much, but it was an unbelievable experience. It actually blew me out of the water. You know, I just assumed it would be essentially just another golf tournament and stepping on that first tee, representing your country and hearing the USA chants or even the other countries’ chants, it just seems so much bigger. And, you know, it was just so cool to be a part of obviously, when we’re here [in Memphis], you know, you’re playing for yourself.

GOLF: What was the dynamic like between you and the other Team USA caddies during the games? Was there a team atmosphere for you guys?

Ellis: One hundred percent. We played our practice rounds together and I’ve never seen so much good banter back and forth and rooting for each other. It was Wyndham and Scottie each day against Xander [Schauffele] and Collin [Morikawa] and they had great matches. It was just so cool to see the top four Americans right now, playing together, rooting for each other, competing against each other and ultimately hoping USA comes back with medals. Obviously, we didn’t get a medal, but USA got a medal and it seemed like we all kind of got a medal, right?

GOLF: Who won those matches between the four Americans?

Ellis: Scottie and Wyndham lost day one, won day two and then the grudge match went to Wyndham and Scottie on Wednesday, so it was really cool.

GOLF: What’s different for the caddies, specifically, at the Olympics versus on the PGA Tour?

Ellis: I mean maybe we work a little more together. I actually got sick on Tuesday and then the boys took care of me. They’re like, ‘Hey, we’ll help Wyndham around.’ Listen, the guys out here are amazing, but you know you’re out here for your team and we help each other, but you know when you’re doing it for the Olympics, it’s like I said, we all try to help each other. So the boys were kind enough to look after me and if I saw something on the course, I would say something.

GOLF: How much of the Games did you get to take in? Or was it all business?

Ellis: Thursday or Wednesday night, JJ Jakovac, Collin Morikawa’s caddie, and I went to swimming which was an awesome atmosphere. We got to see the French guy win two gold medals, break a world record. We got to see [Katie] Ledecky win the 1500. It was just so electric to be a part of that. It was just the coolest thing. And then Sunday night, Wyndham, his girlfriend and I went to the 100-meter race and watched Noah Lyles win the 100-meter run and a few other events. Those two events were pretty epic and Wyndham was lucky enough to get us good seats. In that atmosphere, I felt like I could run a 4.3 [second] 40 [yard-dash]!

GOLF: Was there anything you took away from watching all of these great athletes?

Ellis: Just the work and dedication and all that they put in. You know, we have different tournaments week in and week out and they put all this time and effort for the 100 meter, say for nine seconds, for four years.

GOLF: You have all these medals being given out in different sports, but in golf, there’s just one competition and just the golfer gets the medal. Do you think the caddies of the medal winners should also get medals?

Ellis: I do. I mean, it’s part of the team, right? Like in basketball, some guys don’t play, you’re still part of that team. So I’d like to see in the future the caddie maybe be a part of it. I know it’s hard because then the swim coach might say they deserve it. Not that they do or don’t, but we’re actually in it. I’d like to think one day it could happen. But ultimately, it’s about our guys and we’re just trying to help them get a medal or play their best golf.

GOLF: In golf, we usually just celebrate the winner, but we pay out the entire field. At the Olympics, we celebrate the top three players, but those are the only three who take away any prizes. How different is that to think about during the round?

Ellis: You know, this week [in Memphis] there’s only one winner. Well in the Olympics there are essentially three winners. Obviously the gold is the ultimate. But to me, silver and bronze are essentially the same thing. And if you’re sitting on that podium, you’ve won. I think that’s the way Wyndham looked at it too.

GOLF: Do you think that’s really been embraced?

Ellis: The atmosphere, the people, the hooting and hollering, the way the guys showed their emotion, the nerves that some guys show, you could tell it meant a lot. It has to be embraced from now on. Everyone’s going to want to make LA [2028] just because of that.

GOLF: Changing topics a bit, this is year two for Saxx’s sponsorship deal with several Tour caddies and year one for you, they gave you some stars and stripes underwear for the Olympics, do you have a strategy for when you break them out? Are they just for U.S. holidays?

Ellis: No! They’re in the regular rotation now. I freaking love those ones. I get reminded of the Olympics every time I put it on. I feel like we live in the best country in the world, but the Olympics is going to go down as one of the coolest experiences of my life, no matter what happens. And, anytime I get to throw on the Olympic undies, I’m dialed.

Ultra Super Comfort Blend Boxer Brief 5″ Soft Stars And Stripes- Navy

Ultra Super Soft is a fan-favorite that’s perfect for everyday wear. This ridiculously soft and breathable Boxer Brief comes with the BallPark Pouch and features a fly opening.

$34 from fave.co

GOLF: Did you ever think while you were coaching at Oregon, ‘Hey, one day I’m gonna model underwear while caddying for one of the best players in the world’?

Ellis: No, not at all. Wyndham always jokes, and obviously, Wyndham is a pretty good-looking guy and his agent does well with the ladies and between the three of us, he jokes every time he sees one of them, ‘God, who would of thought of the three of us, you would be the underwear model?’ I was like, ‘I will eat your heart out, kid. One day you’ll get there.’

GOLF: There’s only been a handful of caddie sponsorships before this, what do you think the appeal is now?

Ellis: I think it’s smart. The caddies are usually some of the more outspoken on Tour and I think it’s been awesome for us, but then even some of the brands. We get to show some other personalities and the companies get to have more fun with us than maybe some of the players because they’re serious and can’t do some of the obligations that we can do.

The post Should caddies get Olympic medals? This one weighs in appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Lydia Ko’s golden Olympics, U.S. Am preview appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Lydia Ko’s golden Olympics, U.S. Am preview appeared first on Golf.

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week we examine what Lydia Ko’s Olympic gold medal really means, golf’s place in the Games, LIV Golf’s TV future and look ahead to the U.S. Amateur.

1. Lydia Ko claimed gold at the women’s Olympic Golf competition, finishing 10 under to beat Esther Henseleit (eight under, silver) and Xiyu Lin (seven under, bronze) at Le Golf National outside of Paris. What did Ko do better than everyone else, and could her Olympic success (a gold, silver and bronze) now be higher up on her resume than her two major titles?

News

Ryan Barath, senior equipment editor (@rdsbarath): As much as the women’s majors are a very big deal, I think when you consider the time between all three of her Olympic medals, especially the gold she just earned in Paris, I believe when all is said and done in her career, this could be considered her crowning achievement. 

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): It might not be higher than her major wins, but it very well might equal them. Majors come around five times a year for the ladies — the Olympics only happen once every four years. Securing all three spots on the podium in three Olympic starts its a wildly impressive accomplishment. 

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): She rode a red-hot putter all week, gaining more than eight shots on the rest of the field. Can we call that destiny? As I understand it nobody else in golf history has more than one Olympic medal. Ko has all three of ‘em. That’s incredible. That’s historic. Golf still counts majors more than golds, but in the eyes of the rest of the sporting world those medals are worth far more.

2. With the win, the 27-year-old Ko became the 35th player to join the LPGA Hall of Fame and also the youngest to qualify for it under the current criteria. Has her consistency — winning at 15, two majors, 20 LPGA titles — received as much praise as it deserves when so many other young stars haven’t found the same sustained success?

News

Barath: Within the game I have a very hard time thinking of another LPGA or even PGA Tour player that is as well-loved and respected as Lydia. Her career has spanned over a decade and a half and in the modern women’s game that’s almost unheard of. Part of what I think has prevented her from reaching the general popularity and recognition as others that have been less successful is that there is no standout part of her game that fans can point to like being overly long off the tee — she’s just a top-to-bottom solid player.

Melton: Lydia’s career seems like one that will be remembered more fondly as time passes. She became a victim of her own success after such a dynamic start to her career, and when she couldn’t maintain that pace it almost seemed like a disappointment. But with her spot in the LPGA HOF locked up and her legacy secure, we’ll look back on her career as one of the greatest of the modern generation. 

Dethier: It’s crazy to say because she’s just 27 but Ko’s journey has had several chapters. Early on she got plenty of praise and credit; in down times she received her fair share — maybe more — of criticism and second-guessing. Hall of Fame qualification has loomed over this era and there’s no more dramatic way to get over the line with Olympic gold. The up-and-down ride has made this latest chapter feel that much more satisfying from the outside and, Ko admits, for her, too.

3. With the men’s and women’s Olympic Golf competitions now complete, what was your main takeaway or learning from the events?

News

Barath: On the women’s side I think the Olympics is now considered bigger than a major, especially considering the global broadcast that brings in so many casual fans. As for Olympic golf on the men’s side, I believe this year has helped to solidify this as a big event for the best men’s players in the world.

Melton: Olympic golf is FUN. Playing for medals makes for a much more exciting finish and watching players rep their countries is a treat. I’m all in on golf in the Olympics.

Dethier: I’m biased because I’m an Olympics sicko and I’ve always been a massive proponent of golf in the games. But I think what I hadn’t realized until this week is that 72-hole stroke play actually IS the right format for the individual competition. I’d been a proponent of something more creative, but nah — the original way still delivers. I’m still dying for an outside-the-box team competition, but incredible crowds on a wild golf course with talent and storylines in contention? This was awesome.

4. LIV Golf tees off at The Greenbrier this week for its regular-season finale (with just its individual and team championships remaining), and in a recent press conference, Phil Mickelson went into detail about LIV Golf’s new broadcast direction for 2025 and beyond, which could include new partners and more streaming options. After a couple of years of low ratings and one streaming partner abruptly shuttering, is finding a reliable, far-reaching partner LIV’s No. 1 goal this offseason? Or is a deal with the PGA Tour or something like signing more stars more important for LIV?

News

Barath: So far streaming for LIV has been a bust, but on the other hand one of its biggest stars also happens to have one of the biggest golf YouTube channels, so I feel that if they wanted, LIV could once again lean back into YouTube as a broadcast partner. It’s not a major TV network, but the reality of live golf on TV is changing, and the younger audience is looking for other options.

Melton: Finding a reliable TV partner has to be their biggest priority. They can sign as much talent as they want, but if no one is watching, it doesn’t matter. If LIV wants to be taken seriously, their leaders have got to figure out a way to get eyeballs on their tournaments.

Dethier: I’m curious what that TV deal would look like, who’s in the running and what the level of interest is from nontraditional broadcast partners. Unless unreleased streaming and app numbers are big-time, LIV’s viewership is still negligible. So I’d say LIV’s biggest priority is making a deal. LIV Golf needs the PGA Tour’s legitimacy. The PGA Tour needs some of LIV’s star power. The fans want it. But the way Mickelson is talking, LIV will be around the rest of his golfing life so yeah, there’s certainly no guarantee anything will happen. (Hoping to report out a story on this in the coming weeks.)

5. The U.S. Women’s Amateur finished on Sunday with Rianne Malixi beating Asterisk Talley at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., which gives way to this week’s U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine in Minnesota. What’s your storyline or player to watch?

News

Barath: I’m curious to watch three-time U.S Mid-Am champ Stewart Hagestad compete against the younger contingent of players that seem to make up the majority of the field, including 15-year-old Miles Russell, who made a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this year. Other players that will interesting to watch thanks to their family pedigree are John Daly II (son of John Daly), Preston Summerhays (son of Boyd Summerhays) and 17-year-old Trevor Gutschewski, who recently played with his dad Scott at the Korn Ferry Tour Pinnacle Bank Championship.

Melton: I’ll have my eye on Jackson Koivun, the superstar youngster from Auburn. He was one of the best players in college golf during his freshman season, including leading the Tigers to a national title. Let’s see if he can cap the summer with the biggest title in amateur golf.

Dethier: Luke Clanton has been beating basically every pro golfer he’s gone up against in recent weeks; after taking a private jet from the Wyndham to Minnesota (amateur golf ain’t what it used to be) I’m curious how he’ll do against the ams. There’s serious talent touching down in the Land O’ Lakes.

The post Tour Confidential: Lydia Ko’s golden Olympics, U.S. Am preview appeared first on Golf.

The post The key role Lydia Ko’s Ping driver played in her gold medal performance appeared first on Golf.

The post The key role Lydia Ko’s Ping driver played in her gold medal performance appeared first on Golf.

With water lurking around every turn at Le Golf National, letting down your guard isn’t an option. Accuracy off the tee takes priority over distance in an attempt to keep big numbers off the card. Winning an Olympic medal shouldn’t be a cakewalk.

Last week, Scottie Scheffler elevated his game and erased a four-shot deficit during the final round to win gold. On Saturday, Lydia Ko was able to write her own ending with a similarly impressive final round that netted her a gold medal and a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

When Scheffler won gold, TaylorMade posted a “win ad” congratulating him on the accomplishment. Ko didn’t receive the same treatment after her triumph. This has nothing to do with prioritizing the men’s gold-medalist over the women’s gold-medalist. Unlike Scheffler, who’s attached to TaylorMade, Ko’s an equipment free agent playing Ping and Titleist gear without compensation.

Of the two brands represented in her bag, Ping has the biggest presence with nine clubs, including a 9-degree G430 Max 10K driver that Ko added earlier this season. On a layout where fairways hit far outweighed driving distance, Ko’s driver played a key supporting role down the stretch as she fended off the competition.

“One of the things [Lydia’s] been focused on is bringing spin down,” said Ping’s LPGA Tour rep Jack UIrich. “She tried 10K earlier in the year but ended up going to LST to get the spin rate she wanted. Then she asked to test 10K again at the [Mizuho Americas Open] and it stuck. She’s always played drivers with lower loft. Her current 10K is set at 8.5 degrees in the Flat Minus setting. There’s a little bit of weight forward (a couple grams) to get it in the window she likes to see.”

No one is confusing 10K with LST, but one of the things Ulrich has observed during head-to-head testing between the two drivers is 10K’s consistent spin rates across the face. When the pressure cranks up on Sunday afternoon, not having to sweat a noticeable dip in driver performance on mishits can be a godsend.

PING G430 Max 10K Custom Driver

The G430 MAX 10K is PING’s straightest and highest MOI driver to date, eclipsing the 10,000 g-cm2 combined moment of inertia threshold first surpassed by the G400 MAX five years earlier. FIXED BACK WEIGHT The fixed back weight allows for the record-setting MOI as it drives mass down and back to increase forgiveness and optimize the center of gravity position. LARGER HEAD PROFILE PING’s biggest head profile to date maximizes the USGA-allowable heel-toe and front-back dimensions while staying within the 460cc volume limit. This eye-pleasing shape helps square the golfer to the target and inspires the confidence to hit longer, straighter tee shots.

$599.99 $449.99 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

“The 10K does spin a little more than the LST, but not as much as the standard Max,” Ulrich said. “It just goes so stinking straight. When players are willing to give up a little bit of distance — because LST is the fastest of the models we have — they gain a ton of stability across the face. The spin rates are super stable, too. The LST is forgiving in its self, but just gaining a few more fairways, players like the sound of that.”

During testing with Ko at the Mizuho, Ulrich watched her produce 2,300 RPMs on center face strikes, with the highest spin rate clocking in at 2,700 RPMs.

“It was impressive,” Ulrich said. “When she’s swinging really good, those spin rates stay extremely tight, even on the extreme misses. The ball flight is straighter, and from one of our last conversations, I remember her saying that erring on the side of higher spin — and it’s not like it’s crazy high — seemed to help. Her ball flight is usually left to right, and the LST was maybe curving a little more while the 10K was just staying really straight. Giving up a little bit of distance to gain accuracy has been a part of it for Lydia playing 10K.”

Ko’s experience with 10K matches up with what GOLF.com’s gear team saw during robotic testing. Looking closer at the numbers, G430 Max 10K earned high marks on toe strikes with a carry distance delta of 2.5 yards, due in large part to the tighter spin deltas. Low center strikes saw a similar drop-off in distance, to the tune of 3.1 yards with the 10.5-degree head.

The tight carry distance deltas give 10K products a slight edge over their Max counterparts, but there’s an even more impressive aspect that needs to be discussed.

On a geometric center strike, the 10.5-degree G430 Max 10K produced 12 degrees of launch and 2,700 RPMs of spin. With most of the drivers we tested, moving impact a half-inch lower on the face generally decreases launch and increases spin by anywhere from 200-400 RPMs.

But that wasn’t the case with 10K when the impact location was lowered. Launch decreased to 9.4 degrees, but spin remained constant at 2,700 RPMs.

The goal is to make the launch and spin deltas tighter on mishits so they mimic numbers you’d see on a center strike, which is exactly what the robot saw with Ping’s 10K offering on a common mishit.

It’s the kind of winning equipment formula that allowed Ko to focus on the task at hand and realize a dream in France.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post The key role Lydia Ko’s Ping driver played in her gold medal performance appeared first on Golf.

The post Inside Lydia Ko’s tearful journey to Olympic glory and the Hall of Fame appeared first on Golf.

The post Inside Lydia Ko’s tearful journey to Olympic glory and the Hall of Fame appeared first on Golf.

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Lydia Ko was crying in hotel rooms. Frequently, too. Whenever she’d get home from a disappointing round, tears were bound to follow. When she’d kick off a tournament with a 65 and follow it with a 72. When she was ranked 10th in the world and playing like 110th, thinking to herself, What’s going to be at the end of this tunnel?

But this wasn’t 15-year-old Ko, a green LPGA rookie. It wasn’t 22-year-old Ko, battling her first wave of career struggles. It was 26-year-old Ko, just last year, at the Staybridge Suites in northwest Arkansas, chasing after the LPGA Hall of Fame. 

The LPGA’s Hall is a different beast. You don’t get voted in by accumulating first-team awards or by thumping your chest in a team event. You earn it with victories. Solo victories. Each win is worth a point — majors are worth double — and year-long, singular awards add to your total. Twenty-seven points gets you in, 26 doesn’t. (Laura Davies is in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but not the LPGA’s.) All of which puts very accomplished female golfers in a tricky position: the closer you get, the more everyone knows about it and asks about it, the more tantalizing that checkpoint becomes. It played with Ko’s mind. 

Ko earned her 25th Hall of Fame point after a thrilling 2022 season — when three wins elevated her to No. 1 in the world for the first time in years. Then came 2023 and the worst season of her career. Between March and September, she missed four cuts and had no top 30s. She’d go to events and see pictures of her former self holding trophies and it would feel like a distant memory. The HOF circled in her head. Other LPGA legends would talk to and commiserate with her about it.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Ko won the first LPGA event of 2024, earning HOF point No. 26. All she needed was one more precious point, and it nearly happened a week later. Needing a birdie to win on the final hole, her approach shot missed the green and came to a stop, oddly, against a bouquet of 27 white roses the LPGA had brought out greenside — along with a bottle of champagne — one for each Hall of Fame point. From there, Ko took paradoxical relief, made par, but lost in a playoff to Nelly Korda, who would win every tournament she’d enter for the next three months. 

Ko was gutted, to use her words, but quickly realized its the words of others that drive the point home. Ko was asked about being on the doorstep of the HOF at basically every tournament she entered. You could feel some pain in her answers early in the year — Florida was a lost opportunity. And for someone who has always talked about retiring at age 30, a deadline appeared in the distance. So much that Ko began struggling again. Her mother, Hyeon Bong-sook, and husband, Jun Chung, stepped in.

“I think they made me realize that, hey, even if it doesn’t happen, that’s just my fate,” Ko said. “I’m going to do my absolute best to keep putting myself in contention and in good position going into the final days, but whether it happens or not, I think there’s a golf God somewhere that controls it.”

That’s when she started scripting.

“If I do win gold at Paris,” Ko said just 17 days ago at the Canadian Open, ”I feel like somebody needs to get me a Cinderella slipper because it’s just a story that even I couldn’t have drawn up.”

It’s a fairytale not only for the Hall of Fame but also for Ko’s Olympics journey. Before this week, she was already the most decorated player in golf’s young Olympic lifespan. She won silver in Rio and then took bronze in Tokyo. She’s gotten emotional each time on the medal stand, representing New Zealand. She gave that silver medal to her father, which he keeps in a closet of trinkets — everything from whiskey bottles to memorabilia to Olympic hardware. The bronze is with her sister, in Korea, where it was on display at their grandmother’s funeral. 

News

When Ko arrived at Le Golf National, she promised that were she to add the only medal she’s missing, she would demand the others back. She’d clear out her trophy room — maybe even make a new trophy room for the Medal Slam (a feat that may not take place for what, another 100 years?). It was a fun thought. A fun visual. A fun acknowledgement that in the age of One Shot at a Time, there’s still room to plan out your dreams, no matter their likelihood. 

“You say those kind of things and until it really happens, it’s not really factual,” Ko said. “You know, it’s something that you keep going towards, too.”

She began her third Olympics with an even-par 72 Wednesday before quietly carving out a 67 Thursday, just trying to keep pace with Morgane Metraux’s sizzling, eight-under start. When I asked Ko about the Hall of Fame at the halfway point, she punched back with a bit of sarcasm. In short, this course is too hard to think about anything else, but, “It’s really cool that if I did win the gold, I could get in the Hall of Fame, and it would stop all these questions, like from you, in the future.”

She smiled because she knew the query was coming. The closer you get, the more we’re going to talk about it. But when Ko shot 68 Friday to tie for the 54-hole lead, there were no Hall of Fame q’s. We were transfixed by her admission that she deleted Instagram off her phone for the week — during the most Instagrammable sporting event on earth — and had drawn inspiration from a Simone Biles documentary. She even wrote a Biles quote in her yardage book as a reminder:

“I get to write my own ending.”

Conveniently on Saturday, half the contenders began to write the ending for her. At a course setup that rivaled major championships, on which everyone in the field stressed patience all week, aggressive pursuits of the podium began backfiring. Hannah Green and Rouning Yin were staring down bronze when they both hooked tee shots into water. Miyu Yamashita tied Ko early but then played Wedge Ping-Pong from opposite sides of the 9th green. Nelly Korda, trying to follow Scottie Scheffler with her own best-player-in-the-world comeback, made two birdies in her first three holes, but got loose off the tee and left her medal hopes in the water, too. Le Golf National was reaching out and grabbing players. Nary a single scorecard was spared.

Ko walked off the 11th tee at 11 under and saw the carnage had built her a five-shot lead. But when she doubled 13, her advantage was just three. And by the time she reached the 15th fairway, it was just one. Esther Henseleit was relaxing in the clubhouse, feet up in front of a television, at eight under par. 

Ko’s ending was written not with a pen but with patience. She labored through nervy three-footers on 15 and 16, all while being timed by rules officials. A few times, her playing partners waited out her putts from the next tee box.

“We practice a lot of [three-footers] when we are training,” Ko said. It was the last thing she did before teeing off Saturday. “But you don’t realize how important those are until you’re in those kind of circumstances and you have multiple in a row.”

At 17, she backed off a tee shot as spectators raced by above, and then roasted a drive that led to a par. The final hole at Le Golf National was changed to a par-5 for the women, and Ko played it exactly how you should with a one-shot lead. Fairway, layup, green.

When the birdie putt dropped, her hand was already covering her mouth. Tears were already in her eyes. Tears were a theme of the day, for bronze medalist Xiyu Lin, burying her face in her partner’s shoulder. For Mariajo Uribe, her eyelids swollen after finishing her career with an eagle. And then more tears for Ko, when she finally got a view from the top level of the podium, streamed down her cheek, using her chin as a ramp. When she visited the press tent, she admitted, yes, it’s great that any further Hall of Fame questions will be along the lines of When do we celebrate?

“For it to have happened here at the Olympics, unreal,” she said. “I do feel like I’m a mythical character in a story tale. It really couldn’t have gotten any better than I could have imagined. I’ve had so many grateful things that happened in my career so far, and this really tops it.”

Shortly after Ko offered that insight, she was ushered away to other engagements, photos, drug-testing, you name it. First, though, she and her team dropped by the Olympics family lounge. Inside was a lovely surprise: 27 white roses that this time she could pick up and hold.

The post Inside Lydia Ko’s tearful journey to Olympic glory and the Hall of Fame appeared first on Golf.

The post Nelly Korda says untimely Olympic shank hints at larger problem appeared first on Golf.

The post Nelly Korda says untimely Olympic shank hints at larger problem appeared first on Golf.

With 18 holes remaining at the 2024 Paris Olympics, women’s World No. 1 Nelly Korda trailed by five shots at Le Golf National, and was hoping to channel some of her compatriot Scottie Scheffler’s magic from last week’s Olympic men’s competition, when Scheffler charged from six shots back to claim the gold medal.

“I’m giving myself a chance,” Korda said on Friday. “Anything can happen. Scottie was nine back, or whatever he was at, and he ended up winning.”

Unfortunately for Korda, the charge she needed never materialized. While she got off to an auspicious start with two birdies in her opening three holes, bogeys at Nos. 5 and 7 brought her back to even on the day. She made the turn at one-under for the round after a birdie on the ninth, but her chances of following up her Tokyo gold with another medal in Paris were sunk on brutal bogey-birdie-double-par-bogey stretch on Nos. 13-17. Korda ultimately shot a final-round 75 to finish T22, four shots behind American teammate Rose Zhang (T8), and nine shots behind winner Lydia Ko.

It was the double on No. 15, though, that was particularly devastating to Korda’s medal hopes, and she addressed the issue after her round.

“I just shanked it,” she said. “I just hit it fat and hit it short and into the water.”

News

According to Korda, the shank wasn’t the only problem she dealt with during her final round.

“I think recently what’s been happening to me is I make a mistake and then I make another mistake on top of it,” she said. “Needing to control that bit of it where I don’t compile all the mistakes, which that’s what I’ve been kind of doing recently.”

Despite the disappointing finish, Korda was proud of her efforts.

“I’m never going to stop trying and I’m always going to try my hardest and I’m never going to back down,” she said. “At the end of the day, I played some really solid golf for three years from Tokyo to get me back on to this team and to represent the United States, and to be at the Olympics again. I’m a two-time Olympian and I have a gold medal and I’m proud of that.”

While the men’s season is wrapping up with the start of the FedExCup playoffs next week, the women still have the year’s final major left on the calendar. Next week, the LPGA tour heads to Dundonald Links for the Scottish Open, followed by the Women’s Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews, where Korda will chase her 15th career LPGA victory and third major championship.

The post Nelly Korda says untimely Olympic shank hints at larger problem appeared first on Golf.

The post In Olympic victory, the real Lydia Ko came out with 1 gesture  appeared first on Golf.

The post In Olympic victory, the real Lydia Ko came out with 1 gesture  appeared first on Golf.

The scorecard signature could wait. 

Others needed to be written first. 

Over the previous five hours, it had been some afternoon at Le Golf National for Lydia Ko. She started the final round of the Olympic tournament tied for the lead. She surged ahead. She hung on. She won by two, and with it, she locked up LPGA Hall of Fame status and secured medals in all three Games since their return in 2016. 

Now, though, Ko wanted to give back, to thank the faithful, and through a simple gesture — the signing of her name — she tried. 

For more than a few minutes. 

Walking off the 18th green, where she had just hugged playing partners Rose Zhang and Morgane Metraux, their caddies and hers, Ko gave a ball to a standard bearer, then signed one for an official, then signed one for another official — then signed another one and underhand-tossed it to the gallery. 

From there, Ko started to walk up the path that led to the scoring tent, where a scorecard needed to be signed — only to stop for the fans to the left of the walkway. There, she signed seven hats, before taking one long step to her left and signing eight hats, a flag, a shirt and a ball. 

Said analyst Morgan Pressel on the Golf Channel broadcast: “Not only is she a wonderful golfer and a tremendous champion, she’s a wonderful person as well. You can see that emotion.”

Said Pressel after a pause: “She better get over and sign that scorecard.” 

Said announcer Steve Sands: “She’ll be signing those hats all day long if she doesn’t.” 

She moved on, up the path, where she signed a shirt for a boy and a shirt for another official, before stopping to hug her sister, Sura. She then signed more, for the folks to the right of the path. Five more hats. Then Sura came over, whispering what seemingly was guidance to head to scoring. 

Ko did, then stopped for a couple more fans. 

News

Afterward, Zhang was asked about the newest gold medalist. What did they talk about walking up 18? Zhang got reflective. She said Ko has been a mentor to her. She said that when she turned pro a year ago, Ko made her feel comfortable. She said that Ko was cheering her on on Saturday. On 18, she visibly tried to will in Zhang’s eagle putt that just brushed past the hole. 

A reporter then asked Zhang about the fan interaction. Was this different?

“For Lydia, you mean? Lydia has always been like that,” Zhang said. “She’s always such a people person. I feel like maybe today she enjoyed it a lot more. She really just took it all in and she hit some incredible shots just throughout the day. 

“So kudos to her.”

The post In Olympic victory, the real Lydia Ko came out with 1 gesture  appeared first on Golf.

The post Winner’s bag: Lydia Ko earns gold in women’s Olympic golf appeared first on Golf.

The post Winner’s bag: Lydia Ko earns gold in women’s Olympic golf appeared first on Golf.

With a final round of one-under-par 71 at Le Golf National, Lydia Ko becomes the first golfer in the modern era to win medals in three straight Olympic games and, along with the gold medal win, secures her spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Here are the clubs in Lydia’s bag.

Driver: Ping G430 MAX 10K, (Mitsubishi Diamana PD50 stiff)

PING G430 Max 10K Custom Driver

The G430 MAX 10K is PING’s straightest and highest MOI driver to date, eclipsing the 10,000 g-cm2 combined moment of inertia threshold first surpassed by the G400 MAX five years earlier. FIXED BACK WEIGHT The fixed back weight allows for the record-setting MOI as it drives mass down and back to increase forgiveness and optimize the center of gravity position. LARGER HEAD PROFILE PING’s biggest head profile to date maximizes the USGA-allowable heel-toe and front-back dimensions while staying within the 460cc volume limit. This eye-pleasing shape helps square the golfer to the target and inspires the confidence to hit longer, straighter tee shots.

$599.99 $449.99 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

3-wood: Ping G430 Max 15-degree, (Mitsubishi Diamana PD60 stiff)

Hybrids: Ping G430 19 and 22-degrees, (Graphite Design TourAD HY65 stiff)

Irons: Ping i230 (5,6,7-iron) Ping Blueprint S (8,9-iron), (Aerotech Steelfiber FC70 Stiff)

PING Blueprint S Custom Irons

Developed following extensive testing with PING’s top tour pros to meet their “must haves” — control and precision — Blueprint S delivers the score-lowering performance demanded by the best players in the world. COMPACT SHAPE The compact shape fits the discerning eye with a thin top line and minimal offset. The 8620 carbon steel head boasts a clean cavity design, distinguished by an eye-catching forged textured pattern and hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish. PRECISION POCKET FORGING This patented forging technique allows PING to forge a pocket into the cavity of the 3, 4 and 5 irons. The pocket saves 10 grams of weight, which is re-allocated to increase the MOI and optimize the center of gravity position for more distance and trajectory control.

$221.50 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 46.10 F-grind (bend to 44°), 48.10 F-grind (bent to 49°), 54.10 S-grind, 58.08 M-grind (AeroTech SteelFiber shafts)

Titleist Vokey SM10 Tour Chrome Custom Wedge

Adding Vokey Design® SM10 Wedges to your bag opens a world of scoring opportunities. Between the crisp contact, optimal flighting, incredible spin – and those magical Bob Vokey grinds – they give you everything you need to grow your short game skill. From the simple to the sensational, SM10 are made to make great shots happen. Improved Flighting & Feel Get lower, more attacking flight in a wedge that feels amazingly solid at impact with SM10. A precise shift in the center of gravity gives you even more control and stability for greater confidence over every shot. Ultimate Shot Versatility Your swing is unique and requires the right tools. Finding your ideal mix of grinds will provide you with flawless contact and maximum versatility so you can be prepared for everything the course demands.

$189.99 $159.99 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

Putter: Scotty Cameron P5 GSS tour center-shafted prototype

Golf ball: Titleist ProV1X

Titleist Pro V1X

Buy Now from Fairway Jockey

View Product

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Winner’s bag: Lydia Ko earns gold in women’s Olympic golf appeared first on Golf.

The post Lydia Ko clinches gold medal, LPGA Hall of Fame in dramatic Olympic finish appeared first on Golf.

The post Lydia Ko clinches gold medal, LPGA Hall of Fame in dramatic Olympic finish appeared first on Golf.

In a stunning performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lydia Ko claimed the gold medal with a final-round score of 71, two shots ahead of Germany’s Esther Henseleit and three shots ahead of China’s Xiyu Lin, who won the silver and bronze, respectively.

With the victory, Ko becomes the first golfer in the modern era to claim three medals in three Olympics. The gold joins her bronze medal from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and her silver from golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The gold medal also gave Ko the final point she needed for entry into the LPGA’s most exclusive club: the Hall of Fame.

To earn a spot in the LPGA Hall, players must accumulate at least 27 points. Under the current qualification format, one point is earned for each LPGA official tournament win, an Olympic medal (as of last year), a Vare Trophy win or a Player of the Year award, and a major is worth two points. A player must also win at least one Vare Trophy, Player of the Year or major championship.

After claiming her 20th career LPGA victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January, Ko needed just one final point to cement her place in the Hall. She had a chance to do it the very next week, at the LPGA Drive On Championship, but finished second.

Now, with her gold medal in hand, Ko, 27, becomes the 35th LPGA Hall of Fame inductee, the youngest under the most recent criteria, the first to enter the Hall since Lorena Ochoa in 2022, and the first active player to cement her status since Inbee Park in 2016. She’s also the first member of the Hall from New Zealand.

After 54 holes at the Paris Olympics, Ko was tied for the lead with Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux at nine under par. Rose Zhang and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita were tied for third at seven under.

But the drama started early in the final round, with Metraux fading to five-over through her opening five holes. Ko bogeyed her opening hole too, but bounced back with birdies on Nos. 3 and 7 to reach 10 under and take a two-shot lead.

Another birdie on No. 9 gave Ko and incredible four-shot cushion with nine holes to play — an eerily similar scenario to Jon Rahm at last week’s men’s competition.

Ko’s lead extended to five shots after she parred the 11th, but a water ball on her approach to the 13th green led to a double-bogey that cut her lead to three shots ahead of a charging Henseleit.

Henseleit, playing several groups ahead of Ko, then birdied the 17th and 18th to climb to within one shot of Ko’s lead.

Ko remained steady, parring her way to the 18th tee to maintain her one-shot advantage.

Ko’s drive on the par-5 final hole found the middle of the fairway. She played conservatively, laying up with an iron to set up a short-iron approach, needing only a regulation par to claim gold.

Ko hit her third shot to makeable birdie length, all but sealing the gold. She received a rousing ovation as she approached the green, and drained the birdie for good measure, securing the victory by two shots.

Americans Zhang, Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu finished T8, T22, and T36, respectively.

The post Lydia Ko clinches gold medal, LPGA Hall of Fame in dramatic Olympic finish appeared first on Golf.