Schooled as a junior by Golf Institute coach Guy Wilson, Ko a year ago joined swing guru David Leadbetter's stable. He has added a draw to Ko's shot-making armory to add length to her game, but essentially it's the same Ko - accurate and unflappable.
About the only thing that looms as a serious roadblock to her ambitions is burn-out, a not uncommon occurrence on a tour that throws up young, hungry challengers every year.
"It's tough. You're away for most of the time. You're away more than you are at home. It's hard being on the road living out of a suitcase but, at the same time, that's what tour life is about and I'm sure I'll get more used to it as the years go by."
What she might struggle to get used to, however, is the New Zealand public's need for Ko's validation. Already there is a quasi-controversy as to whether she will appear in the Ladies European Tour-sanctioned New Zealand Women's Open in Christchurch in February or the LPGA Tour event in Thailand, which runs concurrently.
All Ko's answers on the subject to date suggest she will play in Thailand, which has led some to believe she is now feeling the heavy hands of management group IMG on her back. IMG play a role in hosting the Thailand event.
"It's a scheduling thing," Ko said yesterday. "It's tough in that sense. Hopefully I can play but, at the same time, hopefully I can go out and play in Thailand, too."
In other words, 'I'm not telling you anything yet but I'm going to Thailand'.
On a brief visit back to these shores, Ko spent the morning yesterday putting on a clinic for future Lydia and Lennie Kos, while being used to spruik a golf shop and a bank.
In this most corporate of sports, Ko must know by now she's no longer a national treasure, but a multi-national treasure.
Still, at just 17, she plays the game - the off-course game - with acuity. She smiles at the right times and has mastered the balancing act of retaining a teenaged deference to those older while establishing herself as her own woman.
The ability to effect an interest in the most mundane aspects of a touring pro's life will become an increasingly important asset as the wide-eyed years turn into a grind.
For now, though, Ko really does have the world at the end of her driver - sorry, Callaway X2 Hot Pro 8.5-degree driver.
