Lydia Ko Couldn’t Hold Back as the U.S. Women’s Open Derails Her Grand Slam Chase Before Retirement

The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open didn’t go the way Lydia Ko intended it to go. The LPGA golfer has been on a chase for her career Grand Slam and retirement, and this major was a crucial opportunity to achieve it. For Ko, winning all four majors is more than just a milestone — it’s a long-held goal she’s determined to reach. Despite her best efforts, Ko finished tied for 26th with a score of 3 over par. She’s still driven to succeed and hasn’t lost sight of her objective. But what went wrong? Well, the golfer can point out a thing or two.

In her latest Instagram post, Ko took a sly jab at the course, Erin Hills, writing, “How can you top a @uswomensopen? A US Women’s Open at 🇺🇸’s Dairyland!!” She added that she “Loved the course. Loved the cheese,” seemingly poking fun at the course’s Wisconsin theme. Ko ended her post with a tongue-in-cheek “Thank you @usga ❤”. But how do we know that she’s been sarcastic? Well, because she said something similar just a few days ago.

Ko, frustrated with her Grand Slam quest, didn’t complain about the course during the pre-tournament. Instead, she said the course is “difficult” but “fun”, requiring “creativity”. “You don’t really know until you get here,” she noted, adding that the course tends to change in firmness and green speed throughout the tournament. “I think it’s fun. I don’t think it’s, like, for one type of player,” Ko said, appreciating that it suits various types of players. She expressed excitement to see how the course would evolve and hoped to “hit some good shots and get a few good lucky bounces and kind of go from there.” But one golfer shares different sentiments from Ko.

Brooks Koepka, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, fondly recalls his experience playing at Erin Hills, saying, “Suited my game pretty good, I’d say. I liked it.” Having played the course in a U.S. Junior or Amateur event, Koepka had a decent understanding of the layout, despite not performing well back then. He enjoys the challenge of tough courses, where “every shot means that much more.” When asked about his favorite hole, Koepka singled out the 15th hole, calling it “arguably one of the tougher holes out there.” He credits his performance on this hole with helping him calm his nerves and navigate the final three holes successfully.

But this isn’t the first time Ko has complained about a course that has been loved by many.

Lydia Ko found the Augusta National to be ‘too difficult’

Lydia Ko, the world’s third-ranked women’s golfer, recently took on Augusta National Golf Club and lived to tell the tale. After finishing her round with a respectable 71, Ko texted her friend Jason Day, confessing, “This course is too difficult.” It’s not like she’s a beginner or anything! In an interview with Golf Week, Ko shared her experience, saying, “Every hole is completely different from what I thought.” She was particularly surprised by the second hole, expecting a dogleg right, but instead finding a severe downfall and a slope running from left to right.

Despite the challenge, Ko’s experience at Augusta National was pretty memorable. She shot 71 in the first round and 70 in the second, including a clutch birdie on the 18th hole. With a laugh, Ko said, “It’s fortunate that I won’t play at the Masters here,” which is basically an understatement. Given her love for golf, it’s no surprise that Ko often plays with her husband, Jung-joon, and has even gone on golf vacations with him to famous courses like Pebble Beach and Cypress Point.

So, do you also think Ko’s grand slam plans got derailed because of the course? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!