"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.

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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