Lydia Ko’s decision to drop the only coach the 16-year-old has ever known is creating a giant stir back in New Zealand.
Even Kiwi caddie Steve Williams, who knows something about controversial splits, weighed in with strong words on news that Ko is leaving Guy Wilson of New Zealand’s Institute of Golf. Williams called the move “shocking” and “unethical” in an interview with Radio New Zealand.
Ko will be going to work with David Leadbetter, who told GolfChannel.com Monday that he was well aware of the sensitivities that would be involved with Ko making a switch.
“We were a little reluctant,” Leadbetter told GolfChannel.com. “We were very aware of the relationship she had with her coach, and we treaded lightly, but they approached us. When somebody of that ilk asks, you don’t turn them down.”
There’s more behind the emotional reaction to Ko’s decision than just coaching implications. For New Zealanders, it’s about her Kiwi connections and nationalistic pride. In fact, in presenting news of the coaching change, a Television New Zealand reporter asked if it might “signal a shift away from New Zealand Golf.”
Ko is something of a national treasure in New Zealand, and her rise in fame has brought with it concerns over loyalties and how she plans to align herself in the future. During Ko’s first news conference after announcing she was turning pro in October, New Zealand media peppered her with questions about where she planned to establish her professional base and even what nationalistic affiliation she planned for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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