Tour Confidential: Lydia Ko’s golden Olympics, U.S. Am preview
Lydia Ko's gold medal got her into the Hall of Fame.
EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images
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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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.
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