‘Been More Difficult as of Late’: Lydia Ko Opens Up on Lancaster Humiliation; Fans Feels Sorry for Former World No.1

Lydia Ko began the 2024 season with a win at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Despite the strong start, this has not been her season. Out of the eight events that she participated in last year, Ko has acquired only three top-5 finishes. Furthermore, she missed a cut at the Mizuho Americas Open in May, adding to her list of woes.

Now, the LPGA star has added the second women’s major to that ‘missed cuts’ list. This week, the Lancaster Country Golf Club proved to be a formidable challenge for many professionals, including Ko. She even carded a triple bogey on the seventh and a double bogey on the twelfth hole, eventually finishing with a whopping 10 over on Thursday.

The second round was not too much better either. The former World No. 1 made one double bogey and three bogeys. Her two birdies scored on the third and sixteenth were not enough to offset it either, and she ended her two days 13-over, missing the cut at the US Women’s Open on Friday. Undoubtedly flustered, Ko took to Instagram to confess, “Dear Golf, I know you’re quite the challenge, but it’s been more difficult as of late.”

However, keeping up the sportsmanship spirit in her, she stated that after the major, she has a clear vision of what she needs to work on. Hoping to hit back the greens with a bang, Lydia Ko added,“Whilst I’m gutted to miss the weekend, I loved the incredible test @lancaster_country_club and feel like I am leaving with more clarity and confidence in what I need to work on and keep building!

Her honest confession about not being in her best form quickly caught her loyal fans’ eyes. And just like her, they too are optimistic that she will bounce back stronger than ever despite this heavy loss!

The golf community dubs Lydia Ko a ‘true pro’

The 20-time LPGA winner is currently just one win away from meeting the minimum score to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. At the LPGA Drive-On Championship, she narrowly missed out on this achievement after losing out to Nelly Korda. Then again, at the Blue Bay LPGA, she ended up at T4, unable to grab the win. Since then, unfortunately, her performance graph has only been deteriorating. But she has not given up and is constantly giving it her all on the course looking for her win.

Arguably talking about exactly this never-give-up attitude, one of the fans attempted to motivate her. Dubbing himself a die-hard Ko fan, he wrote, “Always with you Lyd..whatever the outcome. I have no doubt you will make it to the hof this year.”

Thanks to her bad Thursday start, Ko will not be appearing at the Lancaster this weekend. Nonetheless, the season is not even halfway through, and Ko has plenty of chances to find her next win, especially with the year-long schedule of the LPGA Tour. Hence, she now has the chance to hit the range and bounce back, perhaps even next weekend in New Jersey at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Fans, too, believe exactly that. “🔥🔥 Best of luck in the next one!! 🔥🔥”

Lydia Ko is highly regarded in the golf community, both for her skill on the course and for the stunning hard work she puts into being that good. The fact that the famous American sportscaster Kathryn Tappen commented, “Love you @lydsko !! Keep grinding! Cheering for you !! 👏🏻” is a standing testament to it. Tappen had been to Lancaster before the US Women’s Open began, and he had posted some pictures covering the event as well. No doubt she too wanted to see more of Ko this week, but sadly, it was not meant to be.

From June 13 to June 16, the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give will take place. This will also be a great opportunity for Ko to shine bright on the greens. In 2022, she failed to grab the win at Blythefield Country Club (the home of the Meijer LPGA Classic), losing by just a single stroke and finishing fourth. Last year, at the event, she missed the cut. However, this year, if all goes well, it could be her comeback for both the event and her season! Fans, too, are hoping for that. “Still will be me and my son’s favorite no matter what! Hope you are coming to Grand Rapids again! ❤️”

When it comes to Lydia Ko, the outcomes have not been as consistent as her skill on the greens. After winning the CME Group Tour Championship in November 2022, she was cursed with a winless 2023. She broke that curse with her 20th victory at the beginning of the season. And once again, it looks like a curse is overshadowing her dedication.

However, given that she has already recovered from the drought once before, one fan is confident that she can do it again. Motivating her, they wrote, “You have overcome these challenges before. You will certainly overcome this temporary loss of form. You will be back on top. Good luck @lydsko. God bless you, young lady. Stay healthy🙏”.

Well, with the two back-to-back missed cuts, will Lydia Ko be able to make a comeback quickly on the course? Or will she face yet another winless drought? Regardless, one thing is certain: her fans are going to be standing by her!