David Leadbetter to Lydia Ko: "Are You Sure You Want to do This?"
Quick update on a story reported here earlier in the week regarding Lydia Ko hiring swing guru David Leadbetter:
According to Tim Rosaforte for Golf Digest, Leadbetter flat-out asked Ko a very interesting question before agreeing to coach her.
"Are you sure you want to do this?", the legendary golf coach reportedly asked the budding young superstar.
This revelation makes me all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside, mainly because it disproves a rumor that Callaway -- who Ko signed a sponsorship deal with earlier this week -- somehow forced the youngster to sign with Leadbetter, who is also sponsored by the company.
According to Rosaforte's piece, Ko and her family made the decision to dump long-time coach Guy Wilson of New Zealand in favor of a well-known name in the United States. Furthermore, Wilson was not prepared to travel to the US on a regular basis, further prompting Ko to make a change. Ko also wanted to more closely mimic the swing of another LPGA tour player, Hee Young Park.
According to Leadbetter, Ko liked the way Hee Young Park swung the club, and Park, a winner of the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic and runner up in the Women's British Open, was one of Hogan's students.
"She liked her action," Leadbetter said.
Unfortunately, this little piece of information doesn't give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Not in the least. Swing changes are commonplace on any professional golf circuit, but changing something that is apparently working beautifully for Ko might be a huge mistake. (See: Tiger Woods)
