Five years ago, the golf prodigy wrote to her teenage self about pressure, kindness, and staying human—advice that now seems prophetic as she reaches the pinnacle of her sport

In 2020, Lydia Ko did something most professional athletes never do: she got completely honest. Writing a letter to her 15-year-old self for the LPGA, Ko opened up about the whirlwind that was about to consume the teenage amateur who had just shocked the golf world. The letter, published during the pandemic when the sports world had paused, offered rare insight into the mind of someone who achieved everything early—and the cost that came with it.

“The letter was one of the only moments in my life in which I could truly be honest with myself and get my thoughts out into the open,” Ko later reflected. What emerged was a roadmap for surviving prodigy-level success, written by someone who had lived through both its triumphs and its crushing weight.

Looking back now, as Ko sits as the youngest Hall of Famer in LPGA history and New Zealand’s youngest Dame, the letter reads like a prophecy—advice that helped shape not just a career, but a person who managed to stay human despite inhuman expectations.

The Wisdom of Slowing Down

Ko’s central message to her younger self was deceptively simple: slow down. “The most important piece of advice I could give you is to never take a single day, a single moment for granted,” she wrote. “You have to slow down and take your eyes off the road every so often or you will miss the scenery.”

This wasn’t just philosophical musing—it was survival advice from someone who nearly burned out from the intensity of early success. At 15, Ko was about to become the youngest LPGA winner ever. The whirlwind that followed included world No. 1 rankings, major championships, and pressure that would have crushed most teenagers.

But Ko’s letter revealed something crucial about handling success: the importance of appreciating the journey, not just the destinations. “The game you love is a vehicle that allows you to go places, meet people and learn things that others might never know or understand,” she told her younger self.

The Power of Authentic Kindness

Perhaps the most revealing part of Ko’s letter focused on her instinct to remain approachable—something that set her apart in a sport often criticized for being elitist. She specifically recalled a moment that would define her approach to competition and life.

When Ko won her first LPGA event as an amateur in Vancouver, fellow competitor Stacy Lewis walked beside her during the final round and said, “You’ve got this. You’re playing well. Now, finish strong.” Ko described this moment as breathtaking, not just because Lewis was a competitor, but because she was the world No. 1 at the time.

“For her to take the time to encourage you in the middle of a final round is an example you will remember and aspire to emulate,” Ko wrote. This lesson in competitive kindness became a cornerstone of Ko’s personality—the player who signs hats while walking up the 18th fairway, who remembers volunteers’ names, who makes time for others even under pressure.

Embracing the Authentic Self

The letter’s most powerful advice centered on authenticity: “That instinct you have to remain approachable and engaging is the right one. The laugh that people can hear from the tennis courts and know that it’s you, that is something you should never change.”

This wasn’t about brand management or public relations—it was about psychological survival. Ko was advising her younger self to resist the pressure to become someone else, to fight against the tendency to let success change your core personality.

“When you recognize a volunteer and want to say ‘hi,’ don’t hesitate. Don’t worry about how it looks. Be yourself, first and always,” she wrote. “If you do that, words like ‘brand’ and ‘image;’ ‘platform’ and ‘presence,’ will take care of themselves.”

The Letter’s Legacy

Reading Ko’s letter now, after her Olympic gold medal, Hall of Fame induction, and Dame honor, reveals its true genius. She wasn’t just giving advice about golf success—she was providing a blueprint for maintaining humanity under extraordinary circumstances.

The letter anticipated the struggles Ko would face: the pressure, the expectations, the temptation to lose herself in the pursuit of perfection. But it also provided the antidote: mindfulness, kindness, and unwavering authenticity.

“Be you. And be happy. Do that, and everything else is going to be fine,” Ko concluded her letter. Five years later, as she approaches her self-imposed retirement deadline while playing the best golf of her life, those words seem remarkably prescient.

Ko’s letter stands as more than a piece of sports writing—it’s a master class in self-awareness and a reminder that sometimes the best advice comes from talking to yourself. In a world of sports psychology and mental coaches, Ko found her own solution: honest conversation with the person who needed to hear it most.