World No. 3 Golfer Explains Split With Swing Coach

Considering No. 3-rated Lydia Ko is busy competing and coming off winning the BMW ladies’ championship, it would be strange to change things up at this point.

Ko explained through a social media post the reason behind her split with longtime swing coach Sean Foley.

The South Korean-Kiwi ace bared that the parting of ways was due to “logistical reasons.”

“When I first met Sean, I was in a place where I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself and in my game. Over the past two years, he has helped me evolve as a better player and person. Our time together was full of so much learning, laughter,” Ko wrote on her Instagram account.

As of this writing, Ko has yet to name a new coach.

However, Ko’s manager and sister Sura confirmed to Golfweek that the 25-year-old golfer is unofficially working with a former instructor in the form Ted Oh.

Although that seems temporarily covered, critics have questioned the timing of Ko’s split with Foley, especially considering that she surged in the rankings under the guidance of the 48-year-old Canadian golf instructor.

Moreover, Ko also leads both the LPGA’s scoring and player-of-the-year races.

Ko and Foley started working together in July 2020, a time when she was ranked outside the Top 50.

Foley aided Ko by addressing the psychological and swing struggles that were never resolved by previous mentors.

From there, Ko took the LPGA by storm, spending a staggering 85 weeks ranked first in the world between February 2015 and June 2017.

“I am just challenging her to find what is already inside of her,” Foley said at the time.

With the development, Foley becomes the latest coach to part ways with Ko.

Aside from Oh and Jorge Parada, other golf coaches who tried to guide Ko include David Whelan, Gary Gilchrist, David Leadbetter and Guy Wilson.

Ko is expected to play at the Pelican Women’s Championship and the CME Group Tour Championship before wrapping up her 2022 competitions.