In the world of professional golf, caddies are a vital part of any golfer’s team. Take for example, Ludvig Aberg’s caddie. Joe Skovron had found a way to push Aberg to success by engaging him in friendly bets. Scottie Scheffler’s bagman Ted Scott also does his bit to raise the bar for Scheffler every time he is on the course. And the case is no different on the ladies’ tour – as Lydia Ko proved in a recent admission!

At the HSBC Women’s Championship happening in Singapore, an award was given out for the ‘Caddie of the Year’. The Winner was Paul Cormack, Lydia Ko‘s caddie. Cormack, who has played previously on the PGA Tour, has been Ko’s caddie since September 2023 and has been a huge driving force behind her current success. Cormack came with top-notch experience having caddied previously for Anna Nordqvist for 4 years. He had also worked as a caddie for Kevin Chappell on the PGA Tour.

“I told him he was chosen because I voted for him; obviously my one vote,” quipped Ko. The fact that she can joke freely with him is a clear sign of the relationship and close bond they have built over the last one and a half years. And why not? With Cormack by her side, the Dame Lydia Ko conquered several challenges. She clinched her third major at the AIG Women’s Open last year and won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris as well. “We had great success last year, and I’m obviously very thankful to have somebody like him that has supported me through my lows and highs.”

The 22-time LPGA winner was extremely grateful for the support she received from Cormack since joining her team. “He started working for me at a time where I wasn’t playing very well, so to see how far we’ve come together, it’s been a really proud moment for us, and I believe that I have a really good support team around me.”

“They are people that I want to finish my career with, and thankful to be surrounded by them,” the New Zealander admitted, finally.

Ko started working with Cormack after the 2023 AIG Women’s Open. The New Zealand was going through a rough patch in terms of results, having just 1 top 10 finish for the season till then. When Ko asked McCormack, the latter did not have any hesitations about it. “It was a no-brainer, and I started with her the following week in Canada. If you turned that down, you’d be an idiot!”

Cormack’s addition started paying good dividends in the 2023 season itself, when Ko finished in the third position at the BMW Ladies Championship before clinching the Grant Thornton Invitational with Jason Day. And the pair haven’t looked back since! But while fans of Lydia Ko are really happy about her achievements and that of her Scottish caddie, what would bother them would be Ko’s idea of retiring by the time she is 30.

Lydia Ko professes retirement before 30

“I don’t know when that moment is right now, although I’ve always said that I can’t see myself playing after I’m 30.”, Ko had stated previously to Golf Monthly.

This idea is not something new from the New Zealand golfer’s side. She has been consistently letting golfing fans know her future intentions, especially the fact that she does not intend to stay around the professional golfing world for too long.“I know for a fact I’m probably never playing past 30. What has happened in the last few weeks doesn’t change my timeline….I want to leave the game while I’m still playing well.”

While fans will likely not be particularly open to the idea of not seeing a talented golfer on the tour, it is an understandable decision. Ko had also stated that she wants to clinch a Grand Slam before her retirement. She is currently missing two from her collection, the Women’s PGA Championship and the US Women’s Open. Do you think that she can clinch both and end her career on a high?