Official: World No. 1, Lydia Ko joins PXG
Continuing the trend of recent equipment shifts from the top players, Lydia Ko has made her move to PXG official. It was first reported in November that Ko will sign with PXG which has now been confirmed. PXG announced yesterday that it had signed a quartet of players in World No. 1, Lydia Ko, Brittany Lang, who has been using PXG irons, will officially be a staffer, as well as Christina Kim and Ryann O’Toole. They’ll join Cristie Kerr, Alison Lee, Sadena Parks, Gerina Piller and Beatriz Recari as LPGA players on staff.
There is no word on specifics of Ko’s equipment setup as she makes a move from Callaway. What is very interesting is that Bob Parsons is not signing any PGA Tour talent in 2017 and is instead focussing on groing international business, according to E. Michael Johnson of Golf Digest.
“This year PXG is looking at golf and the tour from a global perspective,” said Bob Parsons. “In 2016 we saw remarkable growth in international sales, but we recognize that we have only scratched the surface. Tour validation is important, and the ladies tour is wildly popular in many countries. … These players, as well as our top-notch PGA Tour pros, will help us bring PXG’s unmatched technology to passionate golfers around the globe.”
Regarding the move to PXG, Ko said, “It was always my dream goal to become World No. 1. Now that I have reached that benchmark in my career, I am focused on consistently playing the best golf I can. When I first hit PXG’s clubs I was extremely impressed by how they felt. They felt solid and the performance was … wow!”
As reported by Sportskeeda earlier in December, Ko will begin the new season with new equipment, a new coach and a new caddie after she decided to make wholesale changes with regards to her game. Entering her fourth season as a professional in 2017, Ko is looking to win atleast one major and multiple other tournaments.
She is back training in Florida after a month off. Ko will make her season-debut at the Australian Open from February 16-19 and will have a new coach in place by then.
"I just got back to Orlando and I'm going to see what my options are. I'll definitely have a coach before going to Australia. I'm more excited than worried. I know there have been concerns, but I'm going to take this positively," she told the Golf Channel, adding she wanted more say in her play.
"I can't really say any coach's names yet because I haven't tried anyone out yet," Ko said on Wednesday. It's important for me to understand more about my swing and my game, no matter who I end up working with.
Ko will start the year with Gary Matthews on her bag. Matthews formerly worked with Sergio Garcia, Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas, and successfully trialled on Ko’s bag after she sacked Jason Hamilton in South Korea in October. She has been holidaying in South Korea and France and has recently been working on a new driver with PXG.
"The new coach isn't going to be with me 365 days a year. If I learn more about my game, I'll be able to find answers within myself, when I'm away from my coach. I think that's going to be really important, so I'm not as reliant on coaches.”
"I just want to try to keep it simple. I don't want to rip the swing apart. I feel like there are a lot of positives in my swing. I'm really going to work around the rhythm of my swing, being able to keep my rhythm and being more consistent. Consistency is what I'm looking for, performance wise."
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"I was looking for more consistency with my driver. I think that's going to be really important going forward. The driver sets up a hole, sets up a round," she said.
Parsons Xtreme Golf has ascended up the ranks in Golf very quickly after it was only started in 2014 by GoDaddy founder, Bob Parsons. Ryan Moore was the first player to be contracted to the company in 2015. Zach Johnson, Billy Horschel, James Hahn and Charles Howell III were added to the portfolio in 2016.