NAPLES, Florida – Lydia Ko typically hires a dog sitter for her Shibu Inu named Kai. On Tuesday morning, while Ko texted with last week’s sitter, Kai dashed away at Tiburon Golf Club and ran down the 18th hole, taking a dip in the water before disappearing.
“I didn’t see him for like 10 to 15 minutes,” said Ko, who eventually caught up to him on the 13th. Needless to say, she didn’t need to warm up before her practice round at the CME Group Tour Championship after all that chasing.
Later that afternoon, Ko brought Kai up with her for a pre-tournament press conference at the season-ending CME, where she’ll be awarded the Heather Farr Perseverance Award on Wednesday night at the Rolex LPGA Awards dinner.
Every interview should have a dog in it! This is Kai. pic.twitter.com/rOK1RPfvDX
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) November 19, 2024
Given all the success she’s had in the second half of 2024 – winning gold at the Paris Olympics, the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews and qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame – it’s easy to forget that Ko didn’t even qualify for this event last year.
“I think like before like not making it into this event last year, I think I took for granted, that you know what, I always finish the season at the CME Group Tour Championship,” said Ko, who won the event in 2022.
“I think last year was like, hey, you know what? The level of competition is so much higher. I literally need to work my butt off to make sure that I’m qualified and playing here.”
After missing CME, Ko’s turnaround began at the Grant Thornton Invitational last December, where she came back to Tiburon and won with partner Jason Day. The momentum carried on at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January, where she won her first title of 2024.
As the pressure to get the 27th and final point needed for the Hall began to mount, Ko and husband Jun Chung began looking for a dog. Both the house and the road felt lonely at times when they were apart.
The couple first met Kai during the Mizuho Americas Open in May, and while Ko felt a connection to the puppy, they decided it was not the right time to adopt.
But later in the week, as the pair drove to the rental car return at Newark airport, Ko started to cry, realizing she’d likely never see the dog again.
“In my head, I was already calling him Kai,” said Ko. “I think his real name was like George or something. He doesn’t look like a George anyway.”
And so Kai became part of the family, traveling with Ko for the first time at the CPKC Women’s Open, where she was on her own.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand, poses with the AIG Women’s Open trophy following victory on Day Four of the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews Old Course on August 25, 2024 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
After finishing the third round in Canada with a bogey, Ko went back to her host family’s house, where she was enthusiastically greeted by Kai. With a renewed perspective, she’d go on to enjoy her best finish in months followed by wins in Paris and St. Andrews.
At some point during the summer, Ko’s husband asked if she’d rather win a third career major but not have Kai in her life, or have Kai, knowing she’d never win another major.
Ko picked Kai, only to have both in due time.
“It’s literally been a year of a fairytale,” said Ko. “I’m just so grateful for this whole season.”