Lydia Ko: What's In My Bag?

AGE 25

LIVES Orlando

STORY Has won 19 LPGA Tour events, two of them majors.

KEEP AN OPEN MIND As a free agent, testing clubs for the 2022 season, I was ready to try anything. Having an open mind led to some surprising changes: You may not have heard of Proto Concept, the Japanese irons I play, or my IOMIC grips, which I’ve used for a long time. Test without expectations; what’s best for you could be something you would never consider. —With Keely Levins

DRIVER

SPECS Titleist TSR3, 9°, Mitsubishi Kurokage XD50 S shaft.

The most important piece of information for me when testing drivers is accuracy. I’m not one of the longest hitters on the LPGA Tour, and I don’t feel pressure to change that. My goal is to increase my fairways-hit percentage [66.4 in 2022], and this driver is accurate.

FAIRWAY WOODS/HYBRID

SPECS Titleist TSR2+, 13°, Mitsubishi Kurokage XD60 S shaft; Titleist TSR2, 18° fairway, Mitsubishi Diamana PD60 S shaft; Ping G425, 22°, Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 65 R1 shaft.

I find hybrids easier to hit than long irons. In fact, I’ve never even carried a 4-iron.

IRONS

SPECS Titleist T200 (5-iron), Proto Concept CO7 (6-iron), Proto Concept CO5 (7-9); all Aerotech SteelFiber FC 70 shafts, IOMIC 1.8 grips.

Proto Concept irons are so consistent yet forgiving. I don’t tend to launch the ball high, so I like that the higher ball flight with my Titleist T200 5-iron helps stop longer shots on the greens.

WEDGES

SPECS Titleist Vokey SM9 (46°, 48°, 54°, 59°); Aerotech SteelFiber FC 80 shafts.

If you look at the stamp on my 58, you’ll see a 59. It’s bent to 59 degrees. I’ve tried both 58- and 60-degree wedges, but I found the 59 is best because of its versatility. It has enough loft to do what you need to around the greens but not so much loft that you can’t hit pitch shots with it, too.

PUTTER

SPECS Scotty Cameron P5 GSS tour prototype; 34 inches, 3.5°.

This is my favorite club, and it helped me finish the year ranked No. 1 in strokes gained/putting. I used a few putters throughout the season, but I always lean toward a mallet. The center shaft fits my eye and helps my setup.

ALL-AROUND BALL

When testing the Titleist Pro V1 and the Pro V1x, I found the V1x gave me the spin I wanted around the greens and provided the distance I needed in my long game.

SNACK PACK

I like to snack on seasonal fruit with almond butter while I play. I always pack a big container of it. I also like to make sandwiches out of rice cakes and bananas.

LUGGAGE LOCATOR

I’ve heard lots of horror stories about lost luggage this season. Some players used Apple AirTags to find their clubs. Luckily, I haven’t had to use mine, but it’s good to have just in case.