Lydia Ko’s drastic overhaul of her game shows no signs of abating after the World No. 1 announced that she is parting ways with swing coach David Leadbetter.
Lydia Ko’s drastic overhaul of her game shows no signs of abating after the World No. 1 announced that she is parting ways with swing coach David Leadbetter.
The decision comes just weeks after the New Zealander fired her long-term caddie Jason Hamilton with just two tournaments left in the 2016 season and following speculation that she is switching her equipment manufacturer from Callaway to PXG.
It’s thought that Ko told Leadbetter that she was looking for a fresh pair of eyes, following a dip in form at the end of this season, although the world-renowned swing instructor told the Golf Channel that he believed Ko’s parents to be heavily involved in the move.
“My parting words to Lydia were that I think she needs to take control of her life and her golf game,” Leadbetter said. “She’s the No. 1 player in the world. She isn’t 15 anymore; she’s nearly 20. Her parents have done a great job bringing her up and getting her to a certain level, but she is old enough now to where she should be making her own decisions.”
Ko won five events this season, but struggled as the year drew to a close, going five consecutive events without a top-10 finish late in the year and eventually being overtaken by rival Ariya Jutanugarn in the Race for the CME Globe.
Ko won 15 times in her three years under Leadbetter and Hogan, including two major championships, and she has held the Rolex No. 1 world ranking for 78 weeks.
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