Lydia Ko started her first round at Wild Horse Pass with four consecutive birdies and never looked back, tripling that number on her way to a career-low 12-under 60.
Ko’s Ford Championship birdie fest put her in line to become only the second player in LPGA history to shoot 59, but she just missed matching Annika Sorenstam’s second round at Moon Valley Country Club in 2001.
“I don’t think I’ve ever actually started a round with four birdies, so it was nice to take advantage of the good start and continue that on my back nine as well,” Ko told reporters Thursday.
Despite never going more than two holes without a birdie and recording a dozen of them, Ko was one shy of Sorenstam’s birdie mark.
Sorenstam, who finished with a 13-under 59 in Phoenix a quarter century ago, remains the only player in LPGA Tour history to break 60.
LYDIA. KO. 👏 pic.twitter.com/R4jZPYDT7e
— LPGA (@LPGA) March 26, 2026
“The number 59 did cross my mind by the time I holed my birdie putt on 6 (her 15th hole of the day), but it wasn’t like the pressure was — like it wasn’t like I had a lot of pressure to like break 60,” Ko explained. “It was just more like, ‘Oh, it’s really cool to be in this position.’”
A three-time major winner, Ko ended her opening round strong with four birdies in the last five holes. Her 60 is the first the LPGA has seen since 2008, and just the fifth since 1980.
There won’t be a long time to celebrate the feat, though.
The 28-year-old carries a one-stroke lead over Hyo Joo Kim, who finished with a 61 just four days removed from hoisting the Founders Cup trophy in Menlo Park.
Kim is the reigning champion at Wild Horse Pass. A year ago, she came from four strokes behind in the final round and forced a playoff against Lilia Vu which she won.
Nelly Korda won the inaugural event in 2024, when it was played at Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, Arizona. Korda, who almost came back from a five-shot deficit to defeat Kim at the Founders on Sunday, sits three strokes back after a 63.
‘Honeymoon phase’ with new putter
Ko achieved her career-best score with a new putter in her bag.
She told reporters she switched to a Scotty Cameron 12 ahead of the Ford Championship.
“I’ve had my old putter for a really long time, like the same model, so it was kind of different just to have something else,” she said.
“I have my love towards Scotty Cameron putters, so it’s very unusual for me to change out of my putter,” she added.
“I felt like you never know until you play out there and obviously I —- this has only been one round but it’s a good start. You know, really couldn’t have been any better.”
Ko was hesitant to call the instant success anything more than “a honeymoon phase.”
“We all know golf is a game of inches. Days when it goes well it lips in and days it really doesn’t it lips out,” she said.
“You just have to go with the flow. Because I had that mindset I really wasn’t that nervous and 9 and 8 aren’t just gimme birdies anyway, so to birdie those and just finish at 60, I’m excited that I finished at that score rather than feeling disappointed that I didn’t break 60.”