World No 1 golfer Lydia Ko has a new caddie for the 2017 season and has switched golf clubs.
Gary Matthews, a former caddie for Sergio Garcia, will be Ko's full-time caddie after taking the job on a part-time basis at the end of last year. Matthews, a South African, has also worked with Anthony Kim and Camillo Villegas. Ko split with former caddie Jason Hamilton in October.
Matthews will be alongside Ko for her first tournament of the season in Febuary at the Australian Open where she will be playing with new clubs for the first time.
Ko also has a new equipment deal with PXG after previously using Callaway clubs but is yet to decide on a new coach after parting ways with David Leadbetter in December.
"I can't really say any coach's names yet," Ko told GolfChannel.com. "Because I haven't tried out anyone yet. I just got back to Orlando last night, and I'm going to see what my options are. I'll definitely have a coach before going to Australia."
Ko reiterrated that the decision to ditch Leadbetter as coach was her call and not influenced by her parents.
"My parents have been with me from Day 1, and, yes, they give me input, but if I didn't want to make this switch, I wouldn't have done it," Ko said. "The final decision was mine. It's why I reached out to David, not my parents. I thought this was going to be the right decision going forward. It's my decision, and I have to own it."
Ko has spent her break from the game in South Korea, visiting her grandparents, before heading to Paris for a Evian promotional shoot.
Ko's first tournament of the season is the Women's Australian Open, from February 16-19, in Adelaide and she expects to have settled on a coach by then.
