World No. 1 Lydia Ko has fired her caddie after just nine tournaments on the bag, according to a published report.
Golfweek reported that Ko, 19, dismissed Gary Matthews even after she shot weekend rounds of 65 and 64 to finish tied for second at the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii. Matthews previously caddied for reigning Masters champion Sergio Garcia.
In recent months, Ko's many changes have included a new swing coach (to Gary Gilchrist from David Leadbetter) and clubs (to PXG from Callaway.)
The New Zealander has been No. 1 in the world for 96 total weeks, which is third-most all-time in LPGA history. Only Lorena Ochoa (158 weeks) and Yani Tseng (109 weeks) have held the top spot longer.
Ko has seen her lead in the world rankings shrink, especially after second-ranked So Yeon Ryu won the year's first major, the ANA Inspiration, earlier this month. Coming into the LOTTE Championship, Ko's edge on Ryu was less than one average world ranking point, the tightest it's been in more than a year. That margin is expected to increase slightly after Ryu finished sixth in Hawaii.
Ko has been world No. 1 for 77 straight weeks, dating back to Oct. 26, 2015. Prior to Ko, the world No. 1 was South Korea's Inbee Park. Ko is also of South Korean descent and was born in South Korea.
