Lydia Ko will begin 2023 with a new Caddie.
Ko rose to World No. 1 after ending 2022 with victory at the CME Group Tour Championship. Ko decided, quite shockingly, that it was time to make a change.
The 25-year old Kiwi will start her 2023 season next Wednesday at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International. Sura, Ko’s sister, confirmed this to golfweek. They previously worked together at 2021 Lotte Championship where Ko won a 1,084-day drought and was victorious with seven strokes.
Derek Kistler (New Zealand), Lydia Ko’s caddie celebrates at the 18th Green after winning the CME Group Tour Championship held at Tiburon Golf Course on November 20, 2022 in Naples. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images).
Jones was most recently a caddie for Nick Taylor on PGA Tour. She was also on the bag for In Gee Chun’s 2016 Evian Championship win and for Sung Hyun Park’s major titles at 2017 U.S Women’s Open, 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA.
Derek Kistler was Ko’s bag man for the last season’s spectacular comeback, and for half of 2021. Ko’s team did not want to discuss the reasons she made the change.
Lydia Ko, New Zealand, walks up to the 16th Green during the final round at the LPGA LOTTE Championship at Kapolei Golf Club in Kapolei on April 17, 2021. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images).
Ko knows that caddies have a bad reputation. Even those who have had great success with Ko won’t be spared from getting a pink slip.
She was a teenager when she won the Louise Suggs Rolex rookie of the year in 2014.
She said, “This is the funny bit, you see.” “I would like to thank Scott Mark, Steve Steve, Steve and Domingo Fluff, Greg, Jason.”
The list goes on…
