‘Can’t Catch On Video’: Lydia Ko Makes a Bittersweet Long Distance Revelation That Had Pumped Her LPGA Career for Months

Lydia Ko still has some qualms that she doesn’t get to see her South Korean coach more often. But she is also glad to have been born in an era when one can use FaceTime to erase the distance. It is not clear when Ko formally roped in Sin Woo Lee, but she said she had been getting “pointers” from the Asian coach for quite some time.

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Lee, a No. 1 instructor per Golf Digest in 2020–21, was a long-time mentor of former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko. For Lydia Ko, though, this is her first partnership with someone outside the USA. How did it all start, and what are the things they are working on?

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The LPGA Pro revealed that it’s almost been two years since Lee first caught her attention. “[I]t’s like 2022 I had a few pointers from him. In September I got pointers from him as well,” the 19-time LPGA Tour winner said. Ko, notably, parted ways with Sean Foley, her former coach, in 2022.

Lee, as Ko pointed out, has helped the former Rolex No. 1 Jin Young Ko climb the LPGA Tour ladder. In fact, the South Korean instructor is also the mentor of PGA Tour darling Tom Kim. Besides, “He’s had a lot of success with not only Jin Young but other KLPGA players as well,” the Kiwi was quick to note.

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Asked why she picked Lee, Ko told journalists that she was impressed with Lee’s YouTube instructions. The South Korean coach was easily accessible too. “Sometimes I’ll watch that (YouTube lessons) or call or text him and be like, you said that in that lesson. Does that work for me, too? Yeah, you know, it actually does, or no, that’s not for you,” the former World No. 1 said.

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Not having someone on the course overseeing her swing all the time has also helped her to “become more independent and take ownership” of her game. However, Ko admits the downside: “Some things you just can’t catch on video.” That is why Lee was with Ko ahead of the Grant Thornton Invitational, where she bagged her only victory last season. What are the things they have been working on?

Ko had to change her styleLydia Ko acknowledges that she has certain quirks and certain traits that she had as a young kid and that she still has now, which need to change. The Kiwi pro is sometimes quick to catch the lessons. Whereas, other times, Lee had to tell her “the same things over and over again.”

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For the Kiwi, the primary challenge is to shrug off the premonitions that she doesn’t have her coach on her back. “I think I just have to get past that phase as well,” Ko lets go of the only thing she would like to change. Lydia Ko will tee off at the HGV Tournament of Champions on January 18 at 10:48 a.m. EST.

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