Lydia Ko during the Evian Championship 2014 - © T.Plassais / Swing Féminin

Leadbetter was the first to announce the separation, releasing a statement on Wednesday. In subsequent interviews, he criticized Ko's parents for their role not only in the split but also in the management of Ko's game. "It has been difficult in recent months, when she hears more than one voice", Leadbetter told GolfChannel.com.

"I think I have sometimes been too dependent on my parents because I am so used to being with them", Ko told LPGA.com by email, his first public comments since the split was announced. “But I think I need to learn to stand on my own feet and make my own decisions. "

What 19-year-old young adult can handle a worldwide travel calendar, sponsorship obligations and a successful sports career all on his own? When did it become negative to ask parents for a little advice?

"Of course, I discussed my decision with my parents", explained Ko. “They gave their opinion, too. But in the end, I made a firm decision to change. My parents are responsible for a lot of my golfing career and I know I wouldn't be here without them. "

But Ko is growing, and not without some pain.

Lydia Ko during the LPGA Tour Championship 2015 - Photo © T.Plassais / swing-feminin.com

“I am very close to my parents. But it would be a lie to say that we never had any arguments or that I was never upset because of them ”said Ko. “But in the end, even though I didn't realize it all the time at the time, they wish the best for me and that's because they love me and protect me. "

It is a delicate phase that every teenager experiences. Fortunately for most, this is a time that is not often played out on a global stage, open to scrutiny and speculation. She learns how much she wants to share with the media and highlight stories in which she feels misrepresented. But many believe Ko has been able to handle the burdens and pressures of a superstar with a grace beyond his years. She is now in the process of discovering her own identity separate from her parents and finding her voice as she learns to make her own decisions.

Those decisions began in October 2016, as Ko was parting ways with Jason Hamilton, his two-year-old junior, and three events remained on his calendar for the year. The two-time grand champion also opted to switch her signed Callaway gear to PXG Golf during the off-season, making the split with Leadbetter and his team just the latest in a series of big changes for Ko who doesn't. is still in its infancy in the scrutiny that surrounds each of its choices.

"They say, when it works why change? " sent Ko. “Even though I've made a few changes the past few months, I think I didn't realize it until people started reporting it to me. But I do not regret having made them. "

In January, Ko began her third season working with Leadbetter and Hogan - sparking a delicate year of concessions between the player, her parents and the instructors.

On the surface, it seemed like a relationship built for the long term. The team implemented a plan for Ko that focused on regularly scheduled downtime between his weeks on the road which they changed to "rest and recovery time." "

The plan worked.

In his first 24 months with Leadbetter and Hogan, Ko won eight times, including his first major title. She also won the top honors of 2015 - Rolex Player of the Year, Race to CME Globe and the Silver Won title. The team celebrated their accomplishments with ice cream cakes at the Leadbetter Golf Academy, which they shared on social media. But on January 7, as Ko started his practice day at Champions Gate, Ko's instructors were largely absent.

Hogan spent the morning teaching a group of Europeans who were on vacation at the Academy. Leadbetter had locked himself in the driving range with Michelle Wie with whom he shared a 14-year relationship that undermined his two years with Ko.

It seemed unusual for the world's most prominent player, coming off a record-breaking Tour season, to train alone.

But Ko was not alone.

It was his father who was by his side, chasing balls around the green as his daughter practiced her short game. They didn't speak much as he gently threw golf balls on the ground for his daughter and motioned for her to move from grass to sand. It was a comfortable, choreographed dance that the two had probably performed hundreds if not thousands of times before. After a lunch break, Ko headed to the practice putting green where his mother was keeping him company. A team of cameramen asked Leadbetter and Hogan to come over and make a video of them together. They agreed.

It was a familiar scene that played out all over the world throughout 2016 with Ko's parents entering when Leadbetter and Hogan were away and vice versa.

When Leadbetter was unavailable, as he was for the six week tour through Asia where Ko was unable to get into the top-10, it was his father who stepped in to help. Leadbetter told GolfChannel.com that his father tried to flatten his backswing. But when the Tour made its last stop in Naples, Leadbetter was back with Ko, making adjustments to his downswing 10 minutes before the start. This time his father was the one watching. It was then that Leadbetter told Golf Digest that he turned to his father and said: "It's too much information at once".

Ko returned cards 70-62-73-72 to finish in the 10th. For the first time in her career, she left Naples without winning any of the Tour honors. Leadbetter told Golfweek he believes he wouldn't have been fired if Ko had played better on the weekend.

It was then that Ko took control.

After this event, Ko said she took some time to think about her season and made the decision to part ways with Leadbetter and Hogan.

“I felt like I needed to be a little more consistent in hitting the ball, especially with the driver », said Ko, although it reached 84 percent of the fairways in Naples. “But stopping work with David and Sean was a very difficult decision to make, because I really enjoyed working with them and I also feel like I learned a lot about my game too. "

When asked what role his bickering in the second half of the season played in his decision to part ways with Leadbetter and Hogan given his desire for more consistency, Ko says it had nothing to do with it.

“My decision to stop working with the team was not linked to results at all. "

Despite her success in 2016 - after winning it four times on the Tour in addition to winning the silver medal on the return of golf to the Olympics - she was hungry for more. She hopes the changes to her caddy, trainer and equipment will help regain the feelings she had when she started her career.

“I think playing my first tournament of the 2017 season is going to have a whole new feeling, just like when I was playing in the Bahamas in my first event as a rookie »said Ko. “My biggest goal while playing is to have fun and to have fun. Hopefully these changes will give me more confidence. "

At 19, Ko doesn't know everything. She doesn't expect anything. That's why she has her parents to help her - to guide her through the tough choices in her life and career.

Like, who will be his next instructor?

It's the next big decision facing Lydia Ko.