{"id":15547125,"date":"2024-08-11T11:20:50","date_gmt":"2024-08-11T15:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golf.com\/?post_type=article&p=15547125"},"modified":"2024-08-11T11:20:56","modified_gmt":"2024-08-11T15:20:56","slug":"lydia-ko-ping-g430-max-10k-driver-olympics","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/golf.com\/gear\/drivers\/lydia-ko-ping-g430-max-10k-driver-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"The key role Lydia Ko’s Ping driver played in her gold medal performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With water lurking around<\/a> every turn at Le Golf National<\/a>, letting down your guard isn’t an option. Accuracy off the tee takes priority over distance in an attempt to keep big numbers off the card. Winning an Olympic medal shouldn’t be a cakewalk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Scottie Scheffler elevated his game<\/a> and erased a four-shot deficit during the final round to win gold. On Saturday, Lydia Ko was able to write her own ending<\/a> with a similarly impressive final round that netted her a gold medal<\/a> and a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Scheffler won gold, TaylorMade posted a “win ad”<\/a> congratulating him on the accomplishment. Ko didn’t receive the same treatment after her triumph. This has nothing to do with prioritizing the men’s gold-medalist over the women’s gold-medalist. Unlike Scheffler, who’s attached to TaylorMade, Ko’s an equipment free agent playing Ping and Titleist gear without compensation. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Of the two brands represented in her bag, Ping has the biggest presence with nine clubs, including a 9-degree G430 Max 10K driver that Ko added earlier this season. On a layout where fairways hit far outweighed driving distance, Ko’s driver played a key supporting role down the stretch as she fended off the competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“One of the things [Lydia’s] been focused on is bringing spin down,” said Ping’s LPGA Tour rep Jack UIrich. “She tried 10K earlier in the year but ended up going to LST to get the spin rate she wanted. Then she asked to test 10K again at the [Mizuho Americas Open] and it stuck. She’s always played drivers with lower loft. Her current 10K is set at 8.5 degrees in the Flat Minus setting. There’s a little bit of weight forward (a couple grams) to get it in the window she likes to see.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one is confusing 10K with LST, but one of the things Ulrich has observed during head-to-head testing between the two drivers is 10K’s consistent spin rates across the face. When the pressure cranks up on Sunday afternoon, not having to sweat a noticeable dip in driver performance on mishits can be a godsend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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PING G430 Max 10K Custom Driver<\/h4>\n 
$599.99<\/pre>\n            
The G430 MAX 10K is PING\u2019s straightest and highest MOI driver to date, eclipsing the 10,000 g-cm2 combined moment of inertia threshold first surpassed by the G400 MAX five years earlier.\nFIXED BACK WEIGHT\nThe fixed back weight allows for the record-setting MOI as it drives mass down and back to increase forgiveness and optimize the center of gravity position.\nLARGER HEAD PROFILE\nPING\u2019s biggest head profile to date maximizes the USGA-allowable heel-toe and front-back dimensions while staying within the 460cc volume limit. This eye-pleasing shape helps square the golfer to the target and inspires the confidence to hit longer, straighter tee shots.<\/div>\n