Winning the Amundi Evian Championship in 2015 was very special for Lydia Ko. It was only her second year on the LPGA Tour, and it marked her last chance to be the youngest major champion.
In every major championship I played, everyone was asking if I was going to break the record, so when you get to the final chance, you think that it is probably not going to happen,” Ko said.
“I think winning the Amundi Evian Championship, seeing the flag come down, having the Rolex representatives at the prize ceremony with me and getting the special Rolex watch for winning the Amundi Evian Championship was really special.
There’s obviously a lot of history there and that tournament specifically hasn’t been a major for very long, so to be part of that new tradition and history was really exciting.”
special. There’s obviously a lot of history there and that tournament specifically hasn’t been a major for very long, so to be part of that new tradition and history was really exciting.”
Ko, who is a longtime Rolex Testimonee, also was awarded a Rolex. “I gifted my sister that watch. She took it and I haven’t seen it since!” Ko said. “With the special engraving, that’s something that she’s going to cherish forever.
It’s something that when we both look back, it’s going to be a very special moment because whilst all of my wins and all of the moments are unique and memorable in their own way, those ‘firsts’ are so unique and never come back.”
Winning the Amundi Evian Championship in 2015 was very special for Lydia Ko. It was only her second year on the LPGA Tour, and it marked her last chance to be the youngest major champion.
“In every major championship I played, everyone was asking if I was going to break the record, so when you get to the final chance, you think that it is probably not going to happen,” Ko said.
“I think winning the Amundi Evian Championship, seeing the flag come down, having the Rolex representatives at the prize ceremony with me and getting the special Rolex watch for winning the Amundi Evian Championship was really special.
There’s obviously a lot of history there and that tournament specifically hasn’t been a major for very long, so to be part of that new tradition and history was really exciting.”
Lydia Ko of New Zealand looks on while playing the 14th hole during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 20, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Ko, who is a longtime Rolex Testimonee, also was awarded a Rolex. “I gifted my sister that watch. She took it and I haven’t seen it since!” Ko said. “With the special engraving, that’s something that she’s going to cherish forever.
It’s something that when we both look back, it’s going to be a very special moment because whilst all of my wins and all of the moments are unique and memorable in their own way, those ‘firsts’ are so unique and never come back.”
Enjoy this incredibly rich and insightful Q&A with Ko, one of golf’s great champions.
Q: Excellence and precision are qualities associated with Rolex. How do you channel these qualities in your game, particularly when facing the unique challenges of major events?
Lydia Ko (LK): It’s interesting, because in my day-to-day life, I’m quite clumsy in ways and I am the type of person who if it’s not urgent, I don’t feel like I need to do it there and then, and would typically to push it back to later.
However, as I have got older and become more invested in my sport and my work, I have come to realize how important precision is. People say ‘golf is a game of inches’ and you kind of laugh, but I truly think that does make a difference.
It depends on the quality that I put into my process, my practice, my routine or how I put in my time. I think it truly reflects in my performance and it’s weird because sometimes you think you put in 100 percent, but the results don’t always show that right away, but somebody once told me that the practice and the effort that I’m putting in now doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to play better the week after.
It is more about the bigger picture and that is where I think excellence and precision is so important because all of those precise moments create excellence at the top level.
All of the players on tour are very good and it is those marginal differences that make you end up hoisting the trophy at the end of the week, or maybe even missing or making the cut. It is something that I have learned to get better at, and I think that golf has helped me to embrace this outside of the sport too.