Golf stories from journalist Peter Stone

Lydia Ko

Her media commitments fulfilled after an astonishing first round 10-under par 63 in the opening round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open on Thursday, Lydia Ko sat upstairs in the Royal Canberra clubhouse with her mother Tina, her grandmother and caddie Steve Mowbrey giggling like a 15-year-old schoolgirl.

That she is just that puts the enormity of what she’d done on the aesthetically beautiful RC layout almost beyond belief, yet in the short couple of years we’ve known her we’ve been witnessing a true phenomenon of the great game of golf.

Karrie Webb

A couple of weeks ago Karrie Webb declared that it is the 2016 Rio Olympics – and of representing Australia when golf returns to the Olympics – that drives her most these days with, of course, the added benefits flowing as a result, but in recent months she’s also been thinking of what lies ahead post Olympics.

Webb, now 38, certainly won’t be quitting playing, but the schedule might be cut back – “Golf is a sport you don’t necessarily have to say you’re going to retire, but my long term vision ends at the Olympics but it doesn’t mean I’ll end playing,”

Jessica Korda

Perhaps, in the light of the current drugs in sport controversy in which gambling and possible links with criminals is being investigated, it is inappropriate to recall a betting plunge I made just over 12 months ago at the Australian Ladies Masters at Royal Pines on the Golf Coast.

But, what the hell, and we’ll proceed with the usual warning that gambling can be addictive. Through more than 40 years of writing about golf, I’ve had the occasional flutter on tournaments with precious little success. Just petty cash really, but last year I lashed out. I invested $200 with the Queensland TAB to win just under $10,000 on 18-year-old American Jessica Korda.