Lydia Ko shares LPGA opener lead on home course

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In Orlando, Florida, Lydia Ko faced a challenging year in 2023, aside from a wonderful honeymoon at the beginning. After securing three victories in the previous season, her performance on the golf course was notably difficult, leading to emotional moments on the 18th green at various tournaments.

Despite the setbacks, Ko, a 26-year-old with 19 LPGA Tour victories and two major championships to her name, sees an opportunity for a comeback this weekend at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, hosted on the Lake Nona course where she now resides.

Ko delivered a bogey-free performance with a 5-under 67 as the temperatures cooled during the LPGA’s season opener. She now shares the 36-hole lead with Japan’s Ayaka Furue (71), both sitting at 8-under 136. Following closely are Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh (68) and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, a former TOC champion who carded a 71, trailing by two shots. Defending champion Brooke Henderson and Alexa Pano, the youngest player in this week’s field at 19, are three shots behind the leaders, having posted scores of 70 on Friday.

In 2023, Lydia Ko found success in other golf tournaments, winning the Ladies European Tour event (Saudi Ladies International) and a mixed-team tournament alongside PGA Tour’s Jason Day later in the year. These victories provided her with the confidence she needed.

However, her performance in LPGA events was disappointing. Despite starting her season with a tie for sixth in Thailand last February, Ko participated in 19 other LPGA events, managing only one additional top-10 finish. Failing to qualify for the year-ending CME Group Tour Championship was a surprising setback for her.

As the TOC, featuring LPGA winners from the past two years, unfolds, Ko’s game appears to be in good shape and consistently strong. She showcased her skills with a notable eagle on the par-5 ninth hole and finished strongly with a birdie on the 18th hole, missing only one green on a challenging day.

Ko and her fellow LPGA professionals will face a challenge this weekend as a cold front is expected to bring temperatures down into the low 40s Fahrenheit. On Friday, she and other late finishers, including Furue, contended with rain towards the end of the round.

“It wasn’t easy, especially with the wind picking up after nine holes,” Ko remarked. “So that’s going to be the mindset for the next couple of days… but I’m definitely glad that I’m done, and it’s still raining outside.”

After leading the LPGA in total strokes gained on the field one season, Ko experienced a decline, finishing 56th in the last season. Despite this, Ko, who is nearing consideration for the World Golf Hall of Fame (being two points away, with victories counting as one point and majors as two), is entering a new season rejuvenated. She has a new coach in Si Woo Lee and a boosted sense of confidence.

Furue, a 23-year-old with strong putting skills and an LPGA victory at the 2022 Scottish Open, didn’t replicate her performance from the previous day when she set a tournament-record 65. Despite facing more challenging conditions, she held her ground. Furue didn’t register her first birdie until the 12th hole, and an additional birdie on the shortened par-5 15th helped her finish the round under par.

In the LPGA season opener, players engage in 72 holes of stroke play alongside a field of 50 athletes and celebrities participating in a separate division, using a Modified Stableford points system.

Annika Sorenstam, a 72-time LPGA winner and a resident of Lake Nona, is currently tied with former NHL player Jeremy Roenick for the lead among the celebrities, both accumulating 75 points. Former MLB pitcher Derek Lowe, who narrowly defeated Sorenstam in a playoff two years ago, had an impressive round equivalent to 70 on Friday and is trailing Sorenstam and Roenick by four points.