"He keeps me more focused while I am practicing" – Lydia Ko details what it is like having her dog Kai at the CME Group Tour Championship

Lydia Ko recently shared her experience of having her dog, Kai, at the CME Group Tour Championship. The LPGA Tour's final event of the 2024 season is being held at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

Ko began the tournament impressively, carding a 5-under 67. She notched six birdies against one bogey, placing her tied for fifth after the opening round. In the subsequent press conference, she was queried about her recently adopted dog, Kai, who made an appearance at her press conference this week.

Ko was asked about her experience of having Kai with her over the weekend. She shared that having her dog around has been incredibly enjoyable. The 27-year-old mentioned that Kai keeps her on her toes, as she needs to be mindful when opening doors to avoid him dashing out and barking at people near the pool area.

"He's great. He keeps me more focused while I am practicing and then while I'm off I'm able to switch off and just enjoy time with him and kind of also figure out what life is outside of just golf course, hotel," she said.

"It's been fun. He's a blast, but he's definitely a handful. Somebody said this is like an experience to having kids and I was like, well, I'm not sure if I can handle kids after just having a dog. Yeah, he's great and I'm excited to go see him afterwards," she added.

Ko once shared pictures of Kai on her Instagram handle.

Lydia Ko will look to win her third CME Group Tour Championship this year. The winner of the tournament will take home a prize money of $4 million.

A look at Lydia Ko's performances in 2024

Lydia Ko has had a splendid 2024 season, having made 17 cuts in 19 starts. She has registered three wins, seven top-10 finishes and 12 top-25 finishes.

Ko's three wins came at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, AIG Women's Open and Kroger Queen City Championship. She also won the Olympics women's golf competition.

Let's take a look at Lydia Ko's performances in the 2024 season:

Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions: 1
LPGA Drive On Championship: 2
HSBC Women's World Championship: T34
Blue Bay LPGA: T4
Ford Championship pres. by KCC: T13
T-Mobile Match Play pres. by MGM Rewards: T18
The Chevron Championship: T17
Cognizant Founders Cup: T35
Mizuho Americas Open: Missed Cut
U.S. Women's Open pres. by Ally: Missed Cut
KPMG Women's PGA Championship: T46
The Amundi Evian Championship: T39
CPKC Women's Open: T8
ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open: 9
AIG Women's Open: 1
Kroger Queen City Championship pres. by P&G: 1
BMW Ladies Championship: T12
The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican: T14
CME Group Tour Championship: T5
Olympic Women's Golf Competition: 1

About the author

Rohit is a Golf writer at Sportskeeda who specializes in PGA Tour coverage. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Delhi University and a Master's degree in Global Studies from Ambedkar University, he has always been passionate about writing on varied topics.

Rohit has over 4 years of prior work experience under his belt. He prioritizes thorough fact-checking of every article he pens with the aim of providing readers with the most accurate and insightful content.

Rohit's favorite celebrity sportsperson is Novak Djokovic; he admires his determination in the face of challenges and fighting spirit. Rohit is an avid reader and when he's not busy reading and writing about the latest developments in the vast world of pop culture and sports, he can be seen absorbed by a book. He also loves playing chess.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma