Lydia Ko Reveals the ‘Cruel Side’ of Golf Despite Continuous Struggles To Go Towards ‘The Right Direction’

Lydia Ko has not been having a great season this year. After kickstarting 2024 with a victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, she has so far only grabbed two other top-10 finishes. Once she dropped down to a T13 at the Ford Championship in March, she could barely go back on top.

However, the 27-year-old LPGA star has not given up hope and is still optimistic. She is hopeful that, with only a few events left on the golf calendar this season, there’s still a chance for her to shine through the rough times. However, the game of golf is known for its unpredictable nature and Ko is very well aware of the same, as she said, “That’s just the beauty and cruel side of golf and that just shows how difficult it is.”

Lydia Ko hopes to bounce back towards the end

Lydia Ko has landed in Canada to try out her luck one last time this season at the CPKC Women’s Open. After punching in a practice round on Wednesday at the Earl Grey Golf Club, the three-time champion joined the media center for an interview. On being asked about her game, Ko revealed, “It’s been weird.” Reflecting on her performance over the past year, the No. 6 player on the CME list has shown a distinct pattern in her play, similar to previous seasons.

Pretty much similar to this year, she started with a T6 at the Honda LPGA Thailand. She then dropped down to the top-30 list in almost all the other events except two (the BMW Ladies Championship and Maybank Championship). This also included four missed cuts. However, in her last appearance in 2023, at the Grant Thornton Invitational, she turned the tables and grabbed the trophy. She is hoping it will be the same this year. “If I look back at my past 11-ish years I’ve had seasons where I don’t really start great and then I start playing well more towards the fall,” added Ko.

Her only aim at this moment is to be consistent and give her best on the course. Back in May, Ko not only finished below the top 30, but also missed two consecutive cuts at the Mizuho Americas Open and the US Women’s Open. Coming back on course after that has been better for her. But golf truly is unpredictable. “We have our last major and the Olympics coming up, so it’s moving in the right direction. With golf, I don’t think there is anything guaranteed, and you could miss five cuts in a row and win the next week,” she added.

Lydia Ko’s history at the CPKC Women’s Open

Lydia Ko grabbed a win at the championship three times. She first lifted the trophy in 2012 and defended her title in 2013. However, the next year, she had a T55 and once again won in 2015. In her last two appearances at the Earl Grey Golf Club in 2022, when the championship was called the CP Women’s Open. The Kiwi pro had an amazing first attempt, going under par in all four rounds and bagging the fourth position. She was just two strokes behind Paula Reto, who had won. However, last year did not go as planned.

After starting with an even par in the first round, she finished the remaining three with an overpar. She went to as high as a 10-over in the penultimate round. This brought her down to 71 on the leaderboard. According to the pattern, where she played well one season and then dropped down the next, this year might be the better one for her. Having learned the course better in the past two years, who knows? She might end up finally winning!