Amid Struggling to Find Her Footing, Former World no.1 Lydia Ko Spills the Aftermath of Frustrating Decline in Form: ‘Wasn’t Meant to Play’

Every day on a golf course is different. Each comes with its own ups and downs. However, the underperforming phase has lasted quite a while for Lydia Ko. She is trying to overcome that currently at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati.

The nineteen-time LPGA Tour winner missed another cut last weekend at the Portland Classic, failing to capitalize on the $1.5 million purse. The only recurring thing in this season for the former World No.1 has been sadly missed cuts. But her first day in Cincinnati did not look that bad.

Lydia Ko thinks she can make it work this time

On Thursday, the first day of the Kroger Queen City Championship saw Lydia Ko in great form. She fired a 4-under 68 and carded one bogey alongside five birdies on both front and back nines.

In her post-round interview, the player opened up about how important it is for her to finish the season on a good note. Ko also revealed that she wasn’t meant to play at the Cincinnati. “Yeah, I’ve had to just with the… I haven’t been playing very well so I’ve had to add a few events, kind of like this one where I wasn’t meant to play but I came here and I was like, this is one the most fun golf courses I’ve played in a while. So I’m glad that I am here, and, yeah, you know, it’s just I want to finish off the season strong.”

Lydia Ko is moving forward, knowing there are still plenty of events for her to recover. She also gave an example of Chanettee Wannasaen, the Portland Classic winner. Citing her, Ko explained how golf is one sport where the game can change at any minute. While Wannasaen did not land in Portland with significant momentum, she still won the event, mastering a great feat.

“I think as much as like it’s difficult to do that, I think in golf that can happen. It’s one of the rare sports that can happen to you, so I’m just going to keep working at it and hopefully finish the season strong,” she said. Even her Instagram post uploaded recently checks out with the same motivation.

Ko carded par on the last two holes, posting a 68. This is her first round in the 60s since her performance at the Amundi Evian Championship earlier in July. However, Ko still thinks she can do better and will try to do the same in the next few days in Cincinnati.

Also Read: Despite Being Mired in an Awful Slump, Lydia Ko Earns Golf World’s Approval, Courtesy of a Passionate 3-Word Message

What is in Lydia Ko’s mind moving forward?

Ko believed her long game was questionable. She could have taken advantage of the golf course in Cincinnati since it’s more forgiving than the one in Portland, but she failed to do so. However, regarding improvements, her short game was great during the first round.

While Ko believed she got an excellent start going into the event, she looks forward to playing a bit cleaner in the following rounds. But the LPGA pro managed to hit 5 of 14 fairways. While focusing on her long game in practice sessions, she neglected her short one.

Lydia Ko has openly admitted that this season has not been what she imagined. However, she’s been hopeful about her chances as well. Do you think she’ll be able to get back in form in the upcoming tournaments? Let us know in the comments below.

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