Amid a heated battle against Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko thanks her “super supportive” LPGA sisters with a special gesture

Gestures are important; no matter how small or how big. After all, that’s how you show you care, right? If not everyone, Lydia Ko gets it. Your latest revelation is proof of that. The New Zealand golfer treated some of her fellow players and the LPGA Tour support team to a Korean barbecue after Monday’s practice round at the BMW Ladies Championship in Busan. Chella Choi, who is currently on maternity leave, often spoke with the LPGA Tour players and staff before each event. It looks like Lydia Ko took it upon her shoulders to carry on the tradition in her absence and she didn’t deny it.

When asked if Choi was the inspiration for her heartfelt gesture, Ko answered confidently. “Yes, Chella always did that; Give the LPGA staff and some of the players that came to this event a little bit of experience, I think.” she said. But she also has her own reasons for this arrangement.

“I guess that’s kind of my thinking behind it, especially I had such a grateful year with many positive aspects. I think one of the fortunate things for me is that I’ve gotten a lot of support from my competitors and players who play in the LPGA. As much as we want to play against each other and be the one at the top of the leaderboard every week, they’ve been super supportive and some of them are girls I’ve known for a long time. ” Lydia added. But there is another reason that is very important to her.

“Korea is a very special place for me. This is where I was born and it is a place I am very proud of. I know a lot of players are looking forward to eating Korean barbecue when they come. So I was hoping this would be a nice start to the week for them.” added the 2024 Olympic champion.

The dinner at the official hotel of the BMW Ladies Championship was attended by Rose Zhang, Jeeno Thitikul, Lauren Coughlin, Megan Khang, Hinako Shibuno and Celine Boutier. In fact, it continues the legacy of Chella Choi. Choi’s ritual began about 15 years ago. Do you know how carefully these were made?

“I make a list two weeks in advance” Choi said in 2018 that he caters to special requests from guests and ensures that a nice selection of South Korean food is offered – bulgogi, noodles and soups. In Korean barbecue, the meat is often cooked on grills built into the tables.

Choi’s annual dinner party initially began as a thank you to LPGA staff and rules officials. At that first gathering, Choi’s first appearance at the KEB Hank Bank Championship, there were about 15 guests in attendance. But while players kept searching for recommendations for local Korean barbecue, Choi kept sending out invitations to players, caddies and even the media. Choi placed emphasis not only on the food, but also on the ambience.

“When we eat in US-Korean restaurants, we always sit on a chair, right? I wanted you to sit on the floor. She had said in 2018, the year the meeting took place at Wal Mae Jip, a small restaurant owned by Mr Hwang, an actor and friend of Choi’s father Ji. Meanwhile, Ko has the best tour record of the last three seasons at BMW.

Her combined score of 52 under par is 11 strokes better than any other player in that span. According to KPMG Performance Insights, Alison Lee comes closest at 41 under. Ko won this event in 2022 and remained in the top 3 in 2021 and 2023. Other than that, tTo say that Ko has had a great run this season would be an understatement.

A three-time LPGA winner this season, she won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which earned her entry into the Hall of Fame. The Kiwi was the 35th member to enter the hall and is the youngest member under the current criteria at 27 years, 3 months and 17 days. She also sits fourth on the LPGA money list this season with $2,569,317. If that wasn’t enough, then know this. Lydia Ko had one of the biggest comebacks this year.

After going winless in 2023, she picked up three wins this season and added another major achievement to her hat by winning the AIG Women’s Open trophy. The 22-time LPGA Tour winner is also the player with the highest number of bogey-free rounds (134 rounds). While Nelly Korda was at the top of the Rolex list of the best female golfers with Ko in third place, she is not even in the top five in the rankings that Ko leads.

This certainly doesn’t contradict the fact that Korda also had a nice season. She made history by winning five consecutive events on the tour, including a major. The sensational season has sparked debate in the golf world about who will be named this year’s Player of the Year. However, No. 1 Korda missed the BMW Ladies Championship after suffering a minor neck injury in training. The two are certainly against each other on the green as the heated battle is underway, but off the green They are each other’s biggest cheerleaders.

Nelly Korda reflects on her friendship with Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda became friends through Jessica Korda, her older sister. The two met in a playoff at the LPGA Drive-On Championship, where the American won after a late comeback. Korda was always clear about her goals and put aside all friendships.

“Always have one goal in mind and that is to win the trophy at the end of the playoffs.” Korda had said despite her unusual friendship with Ko. In the end, Korda reiterated that it doesn’t matter. “As friendly as you are When it comes to a playoff, you just have to put that aside.” she said.

However, she also emphasized that “Lyds and I have a really good friendship. She was someone I really looked up to and also enjoyed playing with and competing against.” She further added: “She’s one of my better friends out here.” And Korda hasn’t shied away from praising Ko whenever she’s had the chance.

When Lydia Ko was about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame list, of all the players complimenting her and cheering her on, Nelly Korda was one of them. “She is super resilient, hardworking and super committed” she said. She also added that no matter how difficult the time was for her, Ko always bounced back, just like she did this season.