KAWAGOE, Japan – Lydia Ko spoiled an otherwise solid round on Thursday with bogeys at Nos. 17 and 18. Never mind that she shot a 67 and was still in contention at the Olympic women’s competition, she wasn’t happy.
“There might have been some ‘F bombs’ after my round yesterday,” she laughed on Friday, following a bogey-free 66 that left her tied for third place.
Specifically, Ko said it was her wedge play that cost her on Day 2, but after talking with her sports phycologist she was able to move on. She also got a pep talk from her swing coach, Sean Foley.
“He sent me a message today saying, ‘Hey, with all these circumstances, have fun,’” she said. “He said he wants to see my teeth more when I'm out there. He said I'm not smiling as much.”
Ko said that Foley also texted her following the first round on Wednesday. He was with Justin Rose, whom he also coaches and who was the gold medalist at the 2016 Olympics.
“He said he and Justin were watching me play and he said, 'I was so upset with the way you played 11, how human of you to play that way,'” laughed Ko, who made a double bogey-6 on the 11th hole on Day 1. “He's been super supportive.”