This week sees the focus in golf move to the LPGA Tour as the world’s best female golfers battle it out for the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl.
Wales plays host to one of the biggest events the LPGA has and one of their top stars, Lydia Ko, will be looking to defend her title.
Ko is one of the most successful female golfers of all time and at just 28, she has plenty of time ahead to add to her major haul.
However, there is also a feeling with Ko that she may not play too long. Ko has suggested in the past she may well call it a day when she gets to 30.
Still, nothing is set in stone and as we know in sport, retirement plans can quickly shift and change.
Indeed, according to Ko herself, watching Rory McIlroy achieve his career grand slam has given her something to ponder.
Lydia Ko says when she plans to retire
It’s always a great shame to see the best players in any sport step away but ultimately, they have earned the right to do what they want.
Ko has been so successful that she could retire now and look back on a brilliant career with pride.
Now, ahead of the Women’s Open, Ko herself has been speaking on her potential retirement plans.
“Honestly don’t know when my last event is going to be. Obviously I do have more freedom of what tournament I want to play vs not compared to when I was a rookie or 12 years ago. I think even if I wasn’t a Hall of Famer that is still over time you just realise and understand your body a little bit more so I think it just comes with time outside of just my career as a whole,” Ko told TalkSPORT.
“But I said I have always wanted to leave the game while I still love it or still enjoy it, because I don’t want to stop playing because I purely don’t like it any more. Golf has given me a lot in my life and made me experience so many different things that I probably wouldn’t have if I wasn’t a golfer, so I don’t want to step away because I don’t even want to see my golf clubs any more.
“So I think the ambition is that I want to retire when I am still playing well and I still have the passion for the game. I’m not really sure when that time is going to be but it’s closer rather than the start of my career.”
Lydia Ko comments on Rory McIlroy and the Grand Slam
One of the biggest golf stories of 2025 has been Rory McIlroy finally winning The Masters and achieving the grand slam.
It was watched by millions and is one of the top sporting moments of the last few decades.
Indeed, speaking on McIlroy, Ko admitted that seeing him do what he did has inspired her.
“I think having that goal while I’m still playing is really important. Whether I achieve it or not is sometimes not really up to me. But watching Rory do the Grand Slam at The Masters and see the emotions, I was trying to understand what he may have felt for the last few years. It was pretty crazy and it honestly brought tears to me eyes. It was an inspiration,” Ko continued.
“So that [winning the career Grand Slam] is one of my goals, but if I defend my championship this week, that’s four majors but I am not doing the Grand Slam. So winning every different major is hard, winning five majors is hard. So whether that happens or not is not going to be the dictator on whether I retire or not but that is definitely the goal.”
With the chance of another major win this weekend, Ko could be a four-time winner, with just the US and Women’s PGA needed to complete the haul.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
