Lydia Ko Admits to Throwing ‘Cuss Words’ at LPGA Pro After They Clashed at Major Tournament

“It’s not reachable for me,” Lydia Ko admitted, glancing at a hole 600 yards away from her in her appearance on ‘Luke Kwon Golf’ on YouTube. Pulling out her three-wood, the 28-year-old gave it a go, only to see the ball stop just short of the rough. Has such a situation ever gotten under her skin during competitions?

Well, that question brought up memories of one instance where Ko lost her calm. “Okay, I laid up at a major championship with a six-iron into the water. That took the lid off. But it’s three-wood. I was so angry, and I walked in, and then one of the players was like, ‘Do you know not to lay up into water?’ I was like, ‘No.’ 

“And there were some cuss words that follow,” she told Luke Kwon on his latest YouTube video. For those unfamiliar with the technicalities of golf, a six-iron is a mid-range club, pulled out for a more controlled shot than one with a longer distance. A three-wood, on the other hand, is built for power, designed to set the ball as far as possible. So when a pro chunks a safe six-iron layup into the water at a major, it’s a mistake that would have likely gnawed at a pro of Lydia Ko’s stature.

What’s interesting is Ko’s reaction to the situation. Known across the LPGA circuit for her calm demeanour, the three-time major champion has rarely been seen losing her cool. At times, she has admitted that her nerves have often crept into her game, causing her to fumble. But she is known to stay calm.

“People say, ‘you look so calm, you look like you don’t have any nerves, but I do definitely get nervous, when I’m on the first hole of the last hole, at the last winning putt no matter what length it is,” she said once. Still, there has never been a record of Ko cursing at a fellow player or having any run-ins with anyone on the course. She didn’t reveal which major the incident happened at or who the other player was, but for fans, it’s hard to imagine the former world number 1 to lose her cool that way.

Yet, Ko isn’t alone in seeing a seemingly safe shot turn disastrous. Other notable players have also, at times, fallen victim to water hazards in shocking fashion. Sergio Garcia famously found the water five times on a single hole during his 2018 Masters title defence, effectively ending his tournament. More recently, at the 2025 Players Championship, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Johnson Wagner both chipped into the water on the 12th hole.

But even with such calm and poise, the Kiwi golfer does have some intense days besides that one moment.

The struggles and brilliance of Lydia Ko’s game

Even when Lydia Ko projects calm on the outside, golf has a way of slipping through her grip. In July, she admitted on the ‘No Laying Up’ podcast that there are days she leaves the course wondering why she’s still playing, a question that lingers no matter how much she tries to keep her focus steady. “One-hundred percent, there are days when I come off the golf course and I’m like ‘why am I still doing this’. But I still want to get better, and I’ve got a great team around me that’s helping me with that process.”