Captaincy transforms golf into something far more personal than any individual tournament. Keegan Bradley discovered this at the Ryder Cup, later admitting he’ll “never get over” the loss. Lydia Ko just lived through her own version of that pain at the International Crown.

The World Team captain stood before reporters at New Korea Country Club, her third-place finish doing little to ease the weight on her shoulders. Australia had just won the final against the USA. Meanwhile, Ko’s team had defeated Japan 4-3 in the third-place match. The result should have felt like success. Instead, Ko carried something heavier.

“I felt like I let the team down and let Wei-Ling down, and I was really upset,” Ko confessed after Sunday’s matches. Her words cut through the usual diplomatic post-tourn

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