Lydia Ko 2024 Open Championship Round 1

uh Women's Open Championship so got to have a very very feel like you have a heavy base gold medal isn't in the bag apparently that's in a in a rock sack hidden away the Golden Girl lyia Co yeah wasn't that an extraordinary week it really was and just so oh I don't know heartwarming I would say to see someone that has won so much in the game but she gets the Olympics wins a gold medal I've never seen a reaction like that I really haven't I mean obviously it got her into the Hall of Fame so it was a huge huge win but I think it was maybe a little bit more than that I think she realizes how important the Olympic gold medal really is and then you see Scotty Sheffer see they're all crying their eyes out so obviously it has a massive yeah you know it's a it's a it's a huge thing now and it's it's isn't it lovely they're not even playing for any money playing for a bit this week9 A5 million dollar is the price and that's increased by 500,000 the the bronze and silver medalists by the way are playing together out on the course they're both four overp par Janet shiu Lin and Esther henselite eight and a half years since that second major championship for Lydia Co when you're up you know another foot higher sort of thing you're you're getting buffeted around but uh hasn't worked out quite like that yet I'm still banking on it though Ali ying and Lydia Co next out in the company of Seline btic chatting with with alist Scott there the starter yeah hold on tight don't let it blow away coups ago was in Lydia Cole she's going to like the sound of that the entire comms box is smiling from ear to ear just at the sound of it as is Lydia there played here as an amateur in 2013 was the the low amate so winning the Smith Sala five amers in the field this year nice penetra fade right there 72t for the Apex one of the things that Lydia does so well is be able to on the te it feels like it's picked up a little bit if anything so they got to have a little bit of a fight early on with this golf course it will get a little bit easier to get out to the turn but not much Lydia Co 155 I'm going to add on 25 to that at least from where she is she's coming into the teeth of it from this angle got to keep it down keep that Rhythm I might have just ped it a little too much there Lydia is one of the greatest ball Strikers of all time so maybe was expecting a little bit more of a gust it's easier to come in to this green from short from long than short well you're dry first off like you but beautiful beautiful swing great Tempo I mean that's yeah well done no problems at all for Lydia Koshi walk off with her four well we have this familiar setting only the third time the AI won the dhill Cup round here with England too so you played around here a few times so you're saying you've not played in a a win like this no I have I have but it's you wouldn't want any wind here any wind here Richard it's on the it'll be on the edge really would so uh now Lydia go there's a lot more room down the right all the way out here if you can get it into your head safe option is just to keep hitting it left but it makes a second shot harder perfect there one of the best love watching a chip but come and play around here you'll see all the locals get out seven irons but but no no she's going with the the lofted club not the her most lofted but uh the one down and what you will do is generate a lot of spin it's hard to get the ball going through this wind so she's got to be quite aggressive TR P it just on the edge of the green disgusting disgusting that's why you're not going to criticize A ching J that was beautiful wasn't it perfectly controlled yeah she's one of the best th isn't she well golf around the green she could be really aggressive with that straight into the wind it's a long week isn't it it is James a long week it is indeed I I wish you were playing I've got to be honest with you yeah I bet you do oh I really do idia just going to tidy up here at the second I thought she that chip had gone absolutely stiff but downwind because of what Jamie's been saying you have to be careful with these little ones yeah took her time did well yeah important is it a couple of holes where she's had to show that fabulous short game that she's got and she's come through with flying in such a difficult game so yeah she'll be uh she'll be up there come the end of the week if she's got any part of her game intact still going into the to the wind here Jamie I take it at three NOP no we turned a little bit of an angle here when you you think you just go straight out and back here S Andrew it's not true they just turned little angles and now the next five holes will be straight across touch a hurt but mainly across that doesn't make it easier from the left hand side you've got to be down the right if you can here because it's a tough pin to get to if you go too far left but that's the safe play really to go down the left there's three bunkers down the right aiming well left here Co oh stay out stay out boutier has been in the bunker she just splashed it out that Ewing's pin eye a long way from the pin now Lydia 98 yards good angle to this pin oh my word you could tell by her feet she was aiming extremely left and obviously trying not to hit the Pure Strike let the wind affect it but she Davis will be back with us uh a little later on Christina Kim back with us and we see Lydia Co with a lengthy putt for her birdie here these are the putts that are going to be testing the players I think quite a bit because they're just we don't generally play on greens of these size so Direction so between between the wind and that Fringe cut just slowed it down just enough to keep it out it's got to 4 the par for the go there it's an interesting driving hole this one lumps and bumps down the left hand side 225 you've got to hit it to carry them it's quite a narrow little entrance that's absolutely well that is ginormous I do believe it's perfect as well wouldn't be anything else if it was ldo would it left Fairway bunker there had that low penetrating trajectory tumbling draw L Co with a second shot here to the fourth perfect t- shot 127 all in between clubs here wind off the left it's get of all this pin there on the right hand side she's got to be left this pin let it feed in James she's aiming about 40 yards left of this flag yeah she did that the last all I mean it's easy to double cross yourself isn't it when you do this this one's coming back though go on keep going well three birdie parts coming up all three finding the Short Grass BTA Ying as well the wind same part for Co that you in just had so she's had a good read and uh it's just coming up this slope it's maybe just threw it a little bit left for alling and then it will come back the other way so so this is really helped to seeing Ying's part she's usually pretty dangerous with a read as well that one not far away for birdie but not having to contend with those Mounds that are you know sort of nestled in the front of the green only two par FES on the golf course first one the fifth pretty generous t- shot bunkers all the way down the right though 490 it is reachable wind off the left mainly slightly hurting but think they can still reach with a good t- shot here and a good bounce very serviceable there from Lydia Co over on that left side of the Fairway see all he she actually got asked to sign a little girl's Nelly the elephant yesterday out on the go course she signed an elephant that's amazing the see the stand there it's not stand the IDE okay got the driver 245 bold move this one James oh don't any problem with this 224 the front Rish I think just a decent straight here she can get it there spectacle bunkers that are staring at you 40 yards short of this green good lie needs to [Music] be it's like a boomerang it's extrem extraordinary the amount of turn on [Music] that yeah and the fact that she was able to get her to launch so high in the air that was that was pretty impressive she's going to have a slightly scraggly lie there in that cut we need to go back there there's the noises and the words very descriptive downwind left to right she has played an absolute [Applause] Jen IG women's open this week we wish him the best in his next chapter but they try and start the the week around 10 and a half in green speed and then adjust accordingly depending on the weather actually they slowed them down Christina yes due to the weather as we see Lydia Co rolling in great up and down for her birdie here uh going back to it due to the weather in order to m maintain uh uh the ability to compete and okay but I'm not sure 6 T Co 363 yards blind t- shot they know the bunkers down the right and there's the coping bunkers left on 1 there's no bunkers there so I'm guessing isn't it watching it goes under goes out of and 123 for the brilliant Lydia car just going to take a bit more club and made it easier in these windy conditions aiming well left again put too much curve on it if you can avoid it Jud judged it beautifully there had a bit of an awkward bounce to be honest and the Ste the side spin took it away but nonetheless a really good effort landed within about 78 ft of the flag certainly going with the wind out there and it's working so far for Lydia Co take him out in it's a good day for a double harness up there I think we do have a couple of cranes around but very capable camera people top them as we go to Lydia Co she's got a really solid base for a pting stroke Co she goes well yeah you can see she is the wind straight into her eyes and they're watering uh not a lot you can do about that got a look at the hole haven't you got a lovely wide base to a p stroke the hands just fit beautifully onto the poter wind is a factor here oh wow that gusted then added a lot of wdth to her stance there gave it a good run yeah for sure and she was 2728 ft to give it a more of a wrap than you know you don't just make your backstroke longer you have to actually hit the puds earlier in the week there was struggling to carry the Fairway here this one's drifted down the right should be okay depends on the line Looks like you see the back of the ball so she should be fine Comm to it it's fold back on itself from 7 through 11 so we jump over to lyia co [Applause] just fell out of that crane we were talking about two holes at the Chevron Championship to apply pressure to the eventual winner in that Nelly quarter as we go to Lydia Co going to have to hit this one just outside left and it stayed there good part well played hole really well played 5 yds four yards short of that uh lip of the bunker there no kick left right so I mean you're almost you're almost feeling like right to that marker over there by that blue flag and that'll really kick it got Ste left or right in here there's at last you got the wind off the right at last the hole 173 so you can hit this out the right hand side and let the wind take it in just we've seen quite a few go past this pin because you think you've hit the perfect shot hits on well it's not really a Down Slow pretty flat but you always with that Top Spin being put on the ball with that right to left wind and that's the result and that's a difficult up and down into the wi which helps so the first sigh of relief feels in and Lydia Co she's going here good night much for them to with it's a strange Choice Jamie that has to be a wrong decision there doesn't it I mean that's strange on links go yeah into that wind yeah into the wind mid shot really in the window pass champ Ash bu High winner at mfield to the ninth this is the second for Lydia Co Miss green one of the flattest on the golf course one of four holes which doesn't have a double green and that's going to leave long putts here probably the longest putts in the game you can find at St Andrew if you're putting back into the wind it uh it's a real problem you don't get a lot of 300t putt opportunities like you would Death not very often there's a lot of things that you uh don't find and as you come to St Andrews Lydia now for her birdie so just a power for we go to the 10th and the newest member of the LPGA Hall of Fame lyia that was so interesting how much she's actually been asked as if you know she'd retire now that as if the Hall of Fame was her end all potential end of her career she has talked about potentially an early retirement but she still has more goals left in her career that she wants to achieve including another major but this was the one that she wanted so badly the gold medal to complete the collection es hens light brilliant also was second last week Scottish open and then she Lynn and both henselite and Lynn said their medals they didn't win but they felt like it was almost even better than an LPGA victory in some ways well on that stage I mean there's no bigger stage in terms of eyeballs than the Olympic Games and I I have to imagine that those were the happiest they've ever been finishing of the hotel today over at the tent Lydia Co for a birdie to get back under par that was interesting Lydia talking about how she really doesn't feel like she's played well on Link's courses and hasn't really had a particularly good showing at the AIG Women's Open and really hoping to change that here this week we know how well she's playing it's on full display in Paris but I I would expect with her creat might had the same length put as if she was going for the hall at 8 is Lydia Co on the T at the 11th the backup was quite severe there so they're trying to to ease it by letting groups play up so the group on the green has moved to one side there not light shedu the FM Global championship this is Lydia Co at the 11th Lydia saying coming into the week she doesn't play particularly well on Link's golf courses not necessarily her forte but she's got such imagination and such skill around the greens that you really had to think about her as somebody who could go very well here this week especially coming off what she did at the Olympics a couple of weeks ago it's funny the talk about retirement she's now asked about it quite regularly she probably regrets the fact that she said I might retire by the time I'm 30 CU everyone tends to focus on when she's going to uh end her playing days rather than thinking about the future and what she could do over the next several years talked about that green there sloping from back to front and just from long range so the flags are are straight across so the par part here for Lydia Co at the 11th you can see the 7th green is part of this 11th the big double green and this green sits up so it's you feel like it's quite exposed up there same as the te plays across what would be almost the feeling of a valley and it's going to be a drop shot for Lydia and it was the inspiration that Bobby Jones used for the fourth hole at Augusta National or is this 11th he did not have the best memories he had he did have a few issues here in his career yeah having to walk off after not being able to get it out of the bunker but it worked out pretty well it worked out pretty well for him and he obviously realized that it was one of the factors there let's go to the 12th and Lydia I do wonder when you think about the adverse conditions that you so often get at AIG women's opens Lydia her strength has always been short game her ball striking hasn't always been Elite compared perhaps to some others and uh perhaps that explains why her record isn't quite what she hoped it would be she did get the Smith salver as the low ameter the last time the open was here 2013 she it's a tossup they certainly out of bounds back there at some point Lydia got underpar early born in Korea represents New Zealand won that gold and was in tears hearing the New Zealand national anthem in Paris it's been a year of some pretty tremendous accomplishments but that one by Lydia going in knowing what was on the line and just getting it done in such a calm manner really she had a little adversity there on the back nine hit it in the water on 13 she actually told Karen stles and I this morning at breakfast that she had that club she hit on 13 the nine iron checked the next week in Scotland and it was off by a degree see and it didn't go as far as she had expected it to go but the potential of finding one of those hidden bunkers 13 this is Lydia Co on the T this has been Tom nearly an impossible Fairway to hit today only a quarter of the field hitting this Fairway most players aiming well to the right and just accepting the fact that it might be in the rough but you're going to have a shot at the green have to avoid those left Fairway bunkers at all costs just like that running through the Fairway up the right it's just an odd-shaped Fairway it's just the way the hole plays it's just back at the 13th hole this is the second shot for Lydia Co and there's a good indication of how much real estate there is we have the green there 96 yards double green so that shows you where the fifth whole is today so it's running this way from the bottom of the screen up to the top and then coming back down the other way at 13 so many people the ballot was a big change though wasn't it cuz a lot of people would come and yeah get here we hours of the morning there are some tour operators that have tea times but um there are other golf courses to play here as well and I think over the coming years going to do more to encourage people to play the other golf courses Great Courses is here in the St Andrews area have 30 45,000 rounds a year around this golf course that's just a massive number but everybody wants to see it everybody wants to be part of History get their picture taken on the bridge you know walking I walk back out the other way it's a Hardy lot though here in Scotland they maybe the students are coming back into town it's a University Town of course but also just beautiful uh scenery and lots of places to explore in land we go to the 14th and Lydia CO's third now can you imagine if she finishes off this historic season with a victory at the old similar to how she didn't think she could get to the ninth green at the 14 Lydia to get it into red figures oh that's really a hole you want to take advantage of one of the only holes playing under par only two par fives on this golf course two birdies two Bogies for Lydia even par by the way at the moment tied for 14th near got away with it let's go to the tea at the 15th and Lydia Co she said she really started to understand and fall in love with Link's golf after the week at mirfield few years ago in this Championship which is one of the Great Links courses that's not that far away from here as the crow flies but in order to get there you've got to drive all the way around the F or fourth and across the bridge there this is Lydia Co [Applause] second I was just going to have to employ her tremendous short game there to get that up and down and it's aogi now the third for uh Lydia at the 15th I was talking to Lydia a little bit earlier this week and asking about you know since Paris since winning she said I think it was good that I played last week I had the opportunity to really continue to focus on Golf and and you know did a press conference but it I didn't feel Lydia Co RAR at the 50 that green over on the right side close to where the gentleman's standing with the microphone that traumatic move there with her left arm something she started doing when she employed Chris Cho earlier this year to help her with her putting a little bit helps her Square her shoulders he said it was kind of just a drill but she and both head on you like to implemented into their actual routine as well best finish in this Championship a tie for third back in 2015 at turny you don't get many looks than close and now Lydia on the tea going with that really low te there you see those bunkers up the left the three together the principal knows bunkers don't want to be in them just like you don't want to be in the principal's office three nostrils in the principal's nose to so Lydia works with Holton Freeman and another of his pupils is Runing in and Holton is here this week and he said my claim to fame is that the first competitive round Lydia played after I began working with her she shot 80 at the US Women's Open and I thought well I'm done there you go one and done well since then of course by the lead here as we take you to the 16th staring down the old course Hotel Lydia Co with her second going to flight something into that heavy cross winds job just brilliant she's so good with those wedges had some great shots of the two of you you weren't that much older than Charlie at the time or now here's Lydia for birdie to get it into red Figures it's just one of those short putts that you want to make sure to give it enough pace there's that move you talked about yeah she's definitely very deliberate with her routine keeps it the very same every time for a lot of players it becomes like a dance all part of the movement of the setup one movement leads into the next and we talked about that third into the 18th at the golf nassi and all nursing a one shot lead at the time and then this was sporty as well little more on the line over at the 17th the second shot for Lydia Co she set up really Square to this as we talked about that little left to right movement she likes to have whole location on top of the Big Ridge on the front of the green today didn't quite get the bounce she was very confused long birdie putt up the ridge here at the 17th for Lydia how far right she's looking they like so much break here and it's slow and the and the slope is right in front of you too which makes it hard to judge the second half of the putt you're already having to hit the putts harder than you think what magnificent she still has the creativity now the ball striking is beginning to come back she was brilliant with the golf nasie now and you wonder if just with that the Hall of fameer is coming for Charlie Hall and at least one so we've seen this from Lydia in last year or so te the ball down low and letting it rip here at 18 yeah these very firm Fairways might help with a little bit more of a release but that's still quite a ways back got a Scott on the bag wrong there but she's playing great as she did there second shot for Lydia COA at the 18th she's done this beautifully today dial in a little wedge control the spin almost feel like she might have caught that a touch heavy right there little fat if if you've got a ticket you can get inside that fence but plenty of good views from outside as well and Lydia Co who came here in 2013 as an amateur she she's been basking in the glow sister sura was there with her husband June is here this week he's at St Andrews for the first time the youngest ever get into the Hall of Fame Cari Webb qualified but she didn't have her 10 Years yet she was just 25 when she earned enough points but uh the 10-year rule which has since been eliminated this is the 10th year Lydia Co has been out here 10 years ago she joined the tour I thought it was funny she said about her metal that she has she goes oh yeah it's just in my backpack and a towel I I might put that in the hotel safe just just throw that out there good call but said it's been fun to share that certainly with her husband and her family 71 will work on this day considering coming into the week it's tied for 302 at the moment and now Lydia to shoot 71 okay that's just the seventh round underpar posted so far today did exactly what she needed to do today get off to a solid start and well played she's in a good position it's kind of what she did in par thanks so much here with Lydia Co and Lydia anything under par today is a really good score how did you put it together and manag to get into the clubhouse with a round of 71 yeah um I'm just excited that I'm done uh you know I was telling my coach uh hton out there on the Range that all you can do is really laugh I mean what you know it's so windy that you know if you hit a Miss shot or even a good shot it could be miles away from the Hol so yeah I think I just tried to stay patient and know that it's going to be hard for everyone and it was windy to to the point where it's even hard to putt and you're just trying to hit the center of the club fa on a Potter which is strange to say um but you know it was difficult and I knew that it was going to be a challenge um so you know just keeping my head high and you know if I am out of position kind of take my medicine and go from there you said after mfield a couple of years ago you started to embrace the challenge how did that help today yeah mfield um was I think one of the rare times I actually loved playing uh on links um you know I think there are just so many more variables when you come over and play the woman's open and you know sometimes you know you're sitting there and you could think oh what didn't go in your favor um but when you start thinking like that you're probably not going to play good um so I'm just trying to enjoy it and I think you know after that uh woman's open I realize that know no matter what draw you have and or how difficult the conditions is is there's a bowl and the hole so at one point you know it's going to it's going to go in there so you know I'm just trying to make my share of birdies and pars and um yeah just enjoy it because I'm going to make mistakes uh but you know if I get too irritated by just hitting it in one bunker or in the rough then I'm going to you know keep digging myself a hole so just kind of look onwards and um just enjoy it cuz this is a historic place and um it's a treat just to be here it was a treat to watch you today put together that round