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Lydia Ko carded her worst-ever score on the LPGA Tour in the third round of the CPKC Women’s Open.
Lydia Ko’s disastrous season has officially hit rock bottom, and her career as well.
Not only is the Kiwi world No 6 enduring a miserable time of it in 2023, but she has now sunk to an all-time low, shooting her worst-ever round on the LPGA Tour.
Competing in the CPKC Women’s Open in Vancouver – a tournament she had won three times as a teenager (2012, 2013, 2015) – Ko carded a shambolic 10-over 82 in her third round on Sunday (NZ time).
It leaves the 26-year-old dead last in the field, at 12-over, some 23 shots off the lead, which is held by American Megan Khang, at 11-under.
By Stuff’s count, this was Ko’s 874th LPGA Tour round.
Only twice previously has she ever shot above the 70s, carding eight-over 80s on three occasions – twice at the British Open (round four of 2014, and round two of 2019) and also in round two of the 2020 LPGA Drive On Championship – Inverness.
DARRYL DYCK/AP
Having won the Canadian tournament three times previously, this year it’s been one to forget for Lydia Ko.
Beginning ‘moving day’ at two-over, there were absolutely no signs of Ko’s disaster-in-waiting, after she birdied the opening hole of her round. There were to be no more to follow.
Instead, if four-straight bogeys on holes three through six wasn’t bad enough, the wheels then really fell off with her double bogey on the par-five seventh.
Then came five more bogeys, at 11, 12, 13, 16 and 18, to cap off her miserable day out.
It was one where she hit just five of 14 fairways (after eight in each of her first two rounds), despite her driving distance average of 247 yards being up on those first two days.
She managed just six greens in regulation (12 and 10 in the first two rounds), going 0/3 for sand saves, and requiring 33 putts – up three and four, respectively, on the opening two days.
Despite the chaos, Ko still stuck around to sign a heap of autographs and have numerous selfies with fans. But they, like her, must be wondering where it’s all gone so horribly wrong, after such a successful 2022.
Of course, Ko is already fresh off creating unwanted history last month when, for the first time in her career, she went without a top-10 finish in one of the year’s five majors.
Having tied for sixth in the opening Tour event of the season, she has not finished higher than a share of 31st in any of the 11 tournaments since.
Notwithstanding, Ko had said she was in a good place going into Canada, when assessing her struggles at a press conference on the eve of the tournament.
“I think there were a lot of expectations coming into this year, like whether that’s external or internal… but golf is not easy,” she said.
“I think the last couple of months it’s interesting where I feel like I’m progressing, but the results are not necessarily showing that. The scores aren’t a perfect reflection of how I feel like I’m going.
“Obviously when you’re struggling it’s really hard to see the good side of things. But my team has kind of kept me walking with my head high and I think we are moving in the right direction.
“So I’m just trying to stay patient, and as long as I know I’m getting better, and I’m doing my 100% to get better, then that’s all I can do… I’m just going to try and do a good job of playing this crazy game.”
She may have a few more adjectives to use to describe the sport now.
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