New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko on Wednesday said she was comfortable in the role of a female sporting icon after becoming golf’s youngest ever world No 1.
Seventeen-year-old Ko, who smashed Tiger Woods’ record of reaching the top ranking when he was 21, said comments from aspiring golfers drove her to become a better player.
She was speaking just after the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews admitted its first female members, a breakthrough after 260 years of men-only membership.
“When I have kids or juniors come up to me and say ‘Oh you’re my idol’ it makes me feel very proud,” she told a teleconference ahead of next month’s HSBC Women’s Champions.
“Hearing those things makes me feel like I need to become a better player just for them and hopefully just give more opportunities for the goals that will lead the LPGA.”
Britain’s Princess Anne and retired greats Laura Davies and Annika Sorenstam were among the first seven women to join Scotland’s R&A, known as the “home of golf”.
“I think it’s great. Women’s golf is getting much bigger, it just shows that a lot of people are more interested in the women’s game,” said Ko.
“It’s a great first step for women’s golf. It’s great that the R&A did that.”
South Korean-born Ko, who won her first professional event at the record age of just 14, tops the rankings just a year after turning pro and changing her clubs, sponsor and coach.
This year she has ditched her trademark glasses in favour of contact lenses – and the switch did no harm at all as she reached No 1 in the first event of the season.
A share of second was enough to put Ko on top of the rankings in Orlando and she defended her position by finishing tied seventh last week in the Bahamas.
“I got in the habit of wearing my glasses and lifting them up. It’s definitely different,” she said of wearing contacts.
“In the Bahamas it rained on the first day in the afternoon and to not have to wipe the raindrops off my lens it was pretty awesome, so that was probably the first time I was happy it was raining.
“I’m getting used to contacts and trying to use my sunglasses to keep the wind off so they won’t dry. But it’s cool, I like the change.”
A cautionary tale about life at No 1 comes in the form of Taiwan’s Tseng Yani, who spent two years at the top until 2013 but then crumbled and is now ranked at 90.
But despite the pressure, the laid-back Ko said she was relaxed about the rankings and determined to keep enjoying her golf.
“It’s pretty awesome and it’s a huge honour to be in this position. I’m very proud to be here. This has always been a goal to become world No 1, so to be in the ranking right now it’s awesome,” she said.
“But I’m really going to go out to every tournament and try to have a good result there and not think about the rankings, because if somebody else plays really good and they win a couple of tournaments it’s really out of my hands.
“I’m just going to really enjoy being there, it’s really fun.”
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Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
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ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.