Lydia Ko Can't Find The Magic That Made Her No. 1.

Former teen phenom Lydia Ko has changed coaches, caddies and clubs—but still can’t find the magic that made her No. 1.

- Kevin Van Valkenburg

Sometimes Lydia Ko likes to imagine the future. More specifically, her professional future. She thinks about what kind of career she’ll have, what she hopes to accomplish, what dreams she’ll chase in her 30s. She could see herself in psychology, a subject she’s been studying for two years. Or maybe criminology. She thinks she’d be good at solving mysteries. Interior design sounds appealing. Maybe even architecture. She looks giddy as she describes the empty canvas in front of her. ¶ Almost none of her plans for 10 years from now involve the game of golf. ¶ “I’ll probably play some odd golf here or there, maybe play for $100 or something with a friend,” Ko says.

It’s strange—at first—to hear Ko talk like this. We’re having dinner at The Bridge, one of the poshest country clubs in the Hamptons, during the LPGA offseason. She’s agreed to chat about what it’s like to be 20 years old and more accomplished than Tiger Woods was at the same age. But as she nibbles on a langostino appetizer, it becomes clear that Ko has already given plenty of thought to the end, even as it seems she’s barely finished the beginning. She wants to retire at 30. No chance you’ll see her grinding away, chasing another elusive major championship deep into her 40s as Woods or her idol, Phil Mickelson, is doing now.

“I started playing golf when I was 5,” Ko says. “I think 25 years in the game is a good round number.”