Lydia Ko leaving Callaway?

[BreakingPar]

Besides Lydia, who was winning before signing with Callaway, how many of the top LPGA players are with Callaway? It's not like they're backing top talent these days. If I'm not mistaken, none of the top 30 are signed with them.

 

Paige Spiranac?

[pmcuk]

Besides Lydia, who was winning before signing with Callaway, how many of the top LPGA players are with Callaway? It's not like they're backing top talent these days. If I'm not mistaken, none of the top 30 are signed with them.

 

Paige Spiranac?

 

I think you're using "top" in a different sense than Rolex Rankings.......

[ppl4golf]

Wow, huge get for PXG. How much will Lydia get per year? 7 figures?

 

 

pxg doesnt pay players to play their clubs... players pay pxg to play their clubs....didnt you hear the public service announcement ?

 

That's what I heard LOL

[slimeone]

PXG is straight garbage.

[tbowles411]

PXG is straight garbage.

No. They're not garbage. Their woods need more work.

 

However the irons and wedges are quite good. But I contend you can get the same performance from a properly fitted and built set of irons, say $150+ less per iron.

[tbowles411]

Keep in mind Lydia didn't win the CME and $1,000,000 bonus this year as compared to the last two.

 

A girl has to do what a girl has to do.

 

And...if the truth be told, it's probably her mother pushing the deal.

 

Why does everyone paint her mother as the dragon lady stereotype? From all accounts she seems reasonable compared to the wiesy

 

Lydia's Mom is known for being very hands on, much like BJ Wie. The question has been asked who actually is deciding the fate of the caddies and considering she's had some really good ones, it doesn't appear to by Lydia. Lydia wanted to get an additional tattoo and her Mother said no. Respectfully, regardless of your opinion on body art, she's 19, making millions and while parental guidance is great, you gotta let kids grow a bit and learn.

 

There was also a situation where money for Lydia's career development went from KDB Bank in Korea, through a charity in Auckland and to Lydia's parents. Ko's parents were allegedly the ones who asked the New Zealand charity for assistance with processing the money so it didn't become public knowledge. When it became public knowledge they said they didn't know how the charity worked and how funds were distributed.

I kind of equate it to football. She outplayed her rookie deal and she (or her mom, to your point) was looking for a little more scratch.

 

I fear this is more of that BJ Wie influence. They'll put so much pressure on someone so young to perform to expectations, they'll burn them out before their time. I think it's good to have a degree or two of separation between family and business. You can fire an agent, but you can't fire family as easily. That money dealing in NZ looked really shaky for a time. Still does IMO.

 

I don't think PXG will be a big benefactor in increased sales, especially because they're so dang expensive.

[OffTheDole]

Lydia may get the distance she was looking for just from the equipment alone, especially if she doesn't have a 13 club deal and can use a non-PXG driver. I'm pretty sure I saw Gerina Piller using a TM driver.

[cagecitizen]

I predict PXG will experience buyer's remorse in signing Lydia Ko. With the fallout with Leadbetter and the work she needs to do now to correct issues with her full swing (not to mention establishing a relationship with a new coach) I think it's going to be a long year for Ko in 2017.

 

Some more potential obstacles that could derail her performance:

 

1. Adjusting to new equipment

2. Working with a new caddy or caddies by committee

3. The combined strength of all the other young talented golfers at the top of the Rolex Ranking

[J13]

I've heard Ko's parents run every aspect of her life especially her Dad. Lead better was actually on Pga tour radio the other day and said he had to speak to her father on more then one occasion about not saying things to Lydia as she was playing. These wholesale changes are crazy especially since she's had a pretty good year.

[Hifade]

We've all made equipment changes and done fine making adjustments. At this level, they have access to the best of everything, many times over, to insure they have what fits them best, performs best for them and what they have the utmost confidence in. In the end, the biggest distraction(s) are her parents. Such a shame they can't see beyond their own selfishness and need for control. My advise to any parent with a standout child star is (1) keep your day job, (2) stay out of the way and (3) let the kids do what they seemingly do best. I think it's fine to step in when kids make bad decisions and go in a bad/poor/wrong/troubled direction, but guiding them back on course with advise and direction is all a parent's involvement should be. We all need to be responsible for ourselves and take control of our own lives.....and that's the best lesson a parent can teach their child. Just saying......

[Argonne69]

Lydia seemed to do just fine when she switched to Callaway. Another change is not going to be Earth shattering. She also went through numerous caddies in her rookie season. No big deal there either.

 

Lydia was already making changes to her swing by October, and they was starting to take hold. With the winter to work with, I assume she'll be in good shape by Spring. It's not like she's long and wild. Even her misses are fairly manageable. She's the best scrambler on tour, and the #1 putter. Unlike Michelle, she can generally bail herself out of some tough situations.

 

I generally believe that many players keep their parents too close during the tournaments. However, Lydia is still only 20 years old. Heck, none of the top players on the LPGA can rent a car for goodness sake. She's still #1 in the World by a large margin, and had numerous wins this past season.

 

Basically, the wheels did not come off. Her experiment with LD was a wash. She failed to gain yardage, and lost accuracy. Why wouldn't she move on? I haven't heard a single good reason from LD as to why she should stick with him after 3 seasons when she saw zero, nada, zip improvement.

[airjammer]

We've all made equipment changes and done fine making adjustments. At this level, they have access to the best of everything, many times over, to insure they have what fits them best, performs best for them and what they have the utmost confidence in. In the end, the biggest distraction(s) are her parents. Such a shame they can't see beyond their own selfishness and need for control. My advise to any parent with a standout child star is (1) keep your day job, (2) stay out of the way and (3) let the kids do what they seemingly do best. I think it's fine to step in when kids make bad decisions and go in a bad/poor/wrong/troubled direction, but guiding them back on course with advise and direction is all a parent's involvement should be. We all need to be responsible for ourselves and take control of our own lives.....and that's the best lesson a parent can teach their child. Just saying......

 

Well said..I don't get culture, where the parents from what I understand didn't accomplish that much in their life but seem to think they know what is best for their standout adult child. Obviously, they must believe that it was nurture not nature that created this awesome athlete. I have already had this type of discussion with the mother and grandmother of my 7 month old. It's of my opinion that my daughter's intelligence and athleticism is pretty much already predetermined by her genetics and it is our job give her the tools/opportunity/work ethic to make the most out of what she has. They on the other hand believe they can heavily influence her athleticism and intelligence by requiring the child learn a musical instrument,ballet, etc.

[BreakingPar]

Lol @ all the armchair dads!

 

Lydia's folks have gotten it mostly right to raise a multimillionaire teenager that's been to the mountain top and kept her sanity

[OffTheDole]

I'm betting she's just fine if not better with PXG as long as she doesn't change her putter.

 

Also, just from a style perspective, the PXG black motif matches nicely with New Zealand's.