Strong Play Continues

12 May 2021

Golf always has a way of keeping you grounded. For Lydia, everything was going right. There was a stretch of five consecutive rounds dating back to the Final Round of the ANA Inspiration where the former World Number One could not miss. In those 90 holes played Ko was 38-under par, and her victory drought came to an end after winning the Lotte Championship. The next round after her triumph however, the first round in Los Angeles, brought her back down to earth, after a 7-over par (78) at the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open.

Fickle game, right?

But not to worry, the slight hiccup did not keep the current World Number 8 down for long. She rebounded with a second round -3. Ko missed the cut in LA, but the momentum was reestablished heading to Asia.

At the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, Lydia finished the week T7.

She averaged 28 putts per round at the first of two stops in Asia. Ko also hit 75% of her greens in regulation for the week, and was 4/5 on sand saves. Pretty solid for someone who is near the top in nearly every statistical category on the LPGA Tour.

This past week, at the Honda LPGA Thailand, Lydia continued her strong play, where she finished T11, at -17 total. Ko did not quite have the Final Round she would have liked to truly threaten the leaders, but she was just a couple shots behind the top spot at the conclusion of the third round. All positive signs for a player hitting her stride once again.

Lydia has now moved into the top spot of the Race to the CME Globe, as well as the top position on the money list ($861,377) heading into this off-week.

Updated statistics of note:

• Greens in Regulation: (74.44 %) currently ranked 24th
• Putts per Green in Regulation: (1.69) currently ranked 3rd
• Putting Average: (28.53) currently ranked 7th
• Sand Saves: (72.41%) currently ranked 4th
• Scoring Average: (69.03) currently ranked 4th
• Rounds Under Par: (25) currently ranked 3rd
• Birdies: (138) currently ranked 1st
• Rolex Player of the Year race: currently ranked 2nd

Quotes:

Lydia reflecting on Hawaii and LA, and how she felt about her game heading into Singapore and Thailand:

“Good and very bad in the span of two weeks, but you know what, even in L.A. I had a really rough first day but I played solid on the second day. I feel like I’m still coming in with good momentum and winning in Hawaii definitely built the confidence for me to say that, hey, you know, I can be back in the winner’s circle. So great to be in that kind of a position again. You know, even though I missed the last couple days in L.A., I think I needed a little bit of rest and recovery leading up to this event, especially with it being pretty warm this week and next.“

Ko was asked about the mental toll of winning a golf tournament, and the potential impact that had on her game in LA:

“To be honest, I haven’t played well at that golf course before, so it is what it is. Some courses you just play well and some courses you don’t play as well. Still, I love going to L.A. Love the beach and the vibe and the food.

All in all, I still had a great week outside of that one Wednesday, and that one day is not going to ruin my whole week for me. So, yeah, I still had a great time there.“

Up Next:

As of today, Lydia is not entered in the next LPGA Tour event on the schedule, the Pure Silk Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia.

WINNER AGAIN

19 April 2021

(Note: There will not be a “story” style entry each update. But I felt it was nice to give some context to Lydia’s win in Hawaii.)

Nine years. That’s how long it’s been since a 15 year old amateur from New Zealand introduced herself to the world by becoming the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history. Who was that young woman? She was, and is, Lydia Ko.

Ko won the Canadian Women’s Open in 2012 for her first LPGA Tour title, and would repeat that feat in 2013 at the same tournament. Both wins came as an amateur, and were the start of the most dominant run by a teenager in the history of professional golf. By the age of 19 Lydia accumulated 12 wins on the LPGA Tour, including two Major Championships. She also became the youngest player to ever reach number one in the Rolex World Rankings in 2015, at the age of 17.

Lydia was not the longest player, or the flashiest, but she played with a consistency that allowed her to contend, and win, on a regular basis. Her short game was, and remains, one of the best in the world. But then, something happened. Championship trophies were no longer being engraved with her name. Ko’s game never completely disappeared, but the wins did. For quite awhile.

Nearly two years passed without a win for Lydia after her triumph at the 2016 Marathon Classic. But a thrilling playoff victory at the 2018 Mediheal Championship at Lake Merced Golf Club ended that winless streak. Little did we know at that time, another drought would ensue.

However, despite the “struggles” and the scrutinizing, Ko never lost hope. She continued to work hard, and after the Tour returned to action in 2020, began seeing herself in contention more and more often. Perhaps, gaining the confidence and freedom in her game she so effortlessly displayed during her teenage years? A win at the Lotte Championship seems to answer that question with a resounding YES. Nearly three years have passed since her previous victory, in San Francisco, and the win in Hawaii has reminded all of us what she is capable of.

And now we can officially say…

Lydia Ko is an LPGA Tour winner once again!

After an absolutely brilliant display of golf, the soon-to-be 24 year old leaves Hawaii as the 2021 Lotte Championship Champion.

She started the week with a 5-under (67) and followed that up with rounds of 63, 65, and 65. Good enough for a SEVEN shot victory, and a grand total of 28-under par for the tournament. And if that is not impressive enough, these were Ko’s first four rounds after her blistering Final Round -10 (62) at the ANA Inspiration! That means she is 38-under par in her last 90 holes played. Truly remarkable, and honestly, unfathomable.

A few more stats to highlight her recent extraordinary play:

• Ko has made only one bogey in her last 100 holes played.
• She hit 64 out of 72 greens in regulation this past week. Nearly 89%.
• She averaged 27 putts per round in Hawaii.
• 9 of the Top-10 players in the world were in the field at the Lotte Championship.
• Per Justin Ray of the 15th Club: In Lydia’s last 90 holes played she has made birdie or better on 42.2% of those holes. And her scoring average is 64.4 for her last five rounds.
• She has four Top-10’s in five events this season. Including the victory, and two second place finishes.
• In the shortened 2020 season, Ko had five Top-10’s in 13 events played.
• And to top things off, Lydia’s resurgence over the last year has her projected to be, when the rankings come out Monday, back in the Top-10 of the Rolex Rankings for the first time since 2018.

Quotes:

Responding to what the win in Hawaii means to her, Ko said:

“It means a lot. I think there were times I think it was harder and sometimes when — it’s not about other people’s expectations, but when you put expectations on yourself and you feel like you’re not reaching it.

And I think I was putting more pressure on myself and doubting myself, and I’ve been very fortunate to have a very supportive family and team and friends that have just built the confidence in me. Sean I feel like gives me so many great wisdoms and builds that confidence in myself where at times I didn’t feel like I had it.

Just makes me grateful that I just have a loving people around me that are just supporting me no matter what. I think it’s more I was proving it to myself than to anybody else.

And I know this feels great, but obviously playing next week, and I think it just says at the back of my mind. It takes away that doubt that I can do it.

And when you stay patient and keep working on the right things, everything naturally follows.”

Up Next:

Next for Lydia is this week’s HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open. In her previous two starts at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, Ko has finished T31 in 2018, and T42 in 2019. But as we have seen this season, this is a new Lydia. And in the next update she will be a year older, as she celebrates her 24th birthday on Saturday, April 24th.