Lydia Ko, for the first time in 14 months, is on the cusp of victory. Since the 2022 CME Group Tour Championship, the Kiwi pro has struggled to find her footing on the LPGA Tour. Ko admits, without any shred of false confidence, that a stretch of bad form quickly takes a toll on you. 

“It’s crazy, because when you’re not performing well you wonder if you’re ever going to perform well.” said the two-time Major Champion after shooting 4-under 68 in the third round of the HGV Tournament of Champions. A two-shot lead on the moving day is comforting, but Ko is open about the times when everything seemed to go south. 

Lydia Ko makes a weighty confession

The Kiwi pro admits she would much rather shrug it off. But it’s easier said than done: “I dream about golf. I dream about missing my tee time. That’s how much golf is — knock on wood that never happens — but that’s how much it means to me,” Lydia Ko told the journalists in the press conference.

Ko admits that wrapping yourself so tightly around your game has knock-on effects. Especially when you go through a rough couple of months or years. “Sometimes I think it is hard to, like, differentiate your identity to the game or to what you do.” The former World No.1, went winless on the LPGA Tour for two seasons after bagging her second Major. Once again, after the 2018 LPGA Medihead Championship victory, Ko failed to earn any silverware for the next two years.

However, for roller-coaster rides like that, Ko has found a recourse in Juli Inkster. “I remember in Portland Juli Inkster said, hey, you’re goal is to shoot under par every day. Whether it’s one or six, doesn’t matter,” Ko adds. Standing on the cusp of her 20th victory at the elite level, the 2016 Ana Inspiration champion admits, “That makes a lot of sense.”

It makes sense because a handful of birdies and eagles are no guarantee for success. “Sometimes we try and make a bunch of birdies and doesn’t go your way and I guess you get deflated.” But after surviving a rough patch, the Kiwi pro feels, “It’s not about that. I’m just going to enjoy my time here.” 

In her last outing at Lake Nona in 2022, Ko finished in the 10th spot. Retrospectively, Ko said, “I know I played a bunch of rounds at this golf course and it’s gone great (but) hasn’t been pretty at times.” But leading the tournament after 54 holes sure feels great for the Lake Nona native

Ko has high hopes for this season

The LPGA Pro has gone bogey-free in her last two rounds at Lake Nona. Stringing together four birdies, the 26-year-old moved up to the top of the leaderboard along with Alexa Pano before shrugging her off for a solo lead. “To be able to put a few rounds together this week, good quality rounds together this week, has definitely been a good momentum, and no matter what happens tomorrow, I think it’s going to be good momentum for the ’24 season,” Lydia Ko sounds content and confident.

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The Lake Nona event, despite being in her backyard, is the one title that’s still not on her cabinet. A victory here will also take Lydia Ko closer to Hall of Fame glory at 26 points, one short of the required 27. A win also means she will be the only 15th player in LPGA’s history to have 20 silverware under their belt.

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