Lydia Ko poses with an adorable four-legged guest after the Dow Championship pro-am

The 2025 Dow Championship kicks off on Thursday, June 26, at Midland Country Club, and Lydia Ko is gearing up to compete in the tournament. She was spotted in the field after the pro-am tournament on Wednesday, posing with an adorable puppy.

Ko has achieved widespread success on the LPGA Tour, with 23 titles on the LPGA Tour and eight titles on the Ladies European Tour. An LPGA Tour Hall of Famer, she claimed her first title of the season at the 2025 HSBC Women's World Championship and will attempt to claim a second title at the Dow Championship.

The New Zealand-based golfer teed off in the Dow Championship Pro-Am by 7:50 a.m. local time from the first hole. During the competition, she was spotted squatting on the grass, smiling and giving belly rubs to an adorable poodle named Willis. The picture was originally shared on Willis’ Instagram account with the caption:

“It’s nap time @lydsko!!!”

Lydia Ko then reposted the picture on her Instagram story, saying:

“Break time with @where.is.willis 😍”

Take a look at the post here:

Still taken from Lydia Ko’s Instagram Story _ Image Source: Instagram/@lydsko

Last year, Lydia Ko teamed up with her longtime friend Danielle Kang to compete in the Dow Championship. They tied for 27th position after scoring 12-under. They were bested by Jeeno Thitikul and Ruoning Yin, who won the tournament with 22-under and went home with $356,305 each.

This year, Ko and Kang have returned to Midland Country Club to compete for a share of the $3.3. Million total prize money. They are scheduled to tee off by 7:59 a.m. local time from the first hole in group nine.

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How did Lydia Ko perform in the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship?

Last week, Lydia Ko made her ninth LPGA Tour start of the season at the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Fields Ranch East. She tied for 12th position with Lexi Thompson, Charley Hull, and four other golfers.

On day one, Ko fired a lone birdie and four bogeys across 18 holes to card 3-over 75. On day two, she shot four bogeys and three birdies, making the cut and climbing up the leaderboard to T36.

On moving day, the Seoul-born golfer fired three consecutive birdies from holes three to five. Across 18 holes, they recorded a total of four birdies and six bogeys. She shot under par in her final round and finished the tournament with a total of 5-over 71. Meanwhile, Minjee Lee claimed the title with 4-under 284.

Following the conclusion of the tournament, Lydia Ko shared a post on Instagram, saying that she was happy with her performance in the final round despite the tough conditions. The post read:

“@kpmgwomenspga tested us in every element this week! Proud to shoot under par in the final round to cap off a tough week! Congrats @minjee27 ! What an unbelievable week 🔥”

Take a look at Ko’s post here:

Notably, Lydia Ko has made the cut in all her nine LPGA Tour starts this season. She has three top-10 finishes and has won a total of $857.8 K on the LPGA Tour so far this year.