PHOENIX — Lydia Ko opened Thursday with 4 straight birdies and continued on her manner on a really low-scoring day on the Ford Championship with two extra birdies to shut out one of the best spherical of her LPGA Tour profession with a 12-under 60.
Defending champion Kim Hyo-joo shot a 61, marking the primary time for the reason that 2003 Kellogg-Keibler Traditional that two gamers have been double digits beneath par within the opening spherical.
“I do not assume I’ve ever actually began a spherical with 4 birdies, so it was good to have the ability to make the most of an excellent begin and proceed that on the again 9,” Coe mentioned. “I feel, like all golfers, when issues are going nicely, you concentrate on the potential for one thing actually dangerous occurring. I really feel like I stayed affected person and rolled it out rather well.”
A quiet begin to his thirteenth season got here to life on the Cattail Course at Whirlwind Golf Membership when the 28-year-old acquired right into a rhythm with a uncommon putter change and started piling up birdies.
She mentioned the concept of a 59 for Annika Sorenstam, who turned the one sub-60 spherical in LPGA historical past 25 years in the past at one other course in Phoenix, got here to thoughts when she birdied the 14th and fifteenth holes of the spherical after beginning at No. 10.
Nevertheless, he could not make a strong 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 seventh gap. Ko completed the worst spherical of his profession with two extra birdies.
“I want I may have punched a gap with that,” Coe mentioned. “However you by no means know. Perhaps if I had been in a position to gap that one, I may not have been in a position to gap the opposite two. I can not take into consideration the ‘what if’s.’ I additionally acquired a number of birdies that I wasn’t anticipating, so in that sense I really feel like I used to be in a position to degree the enjoying discipline. ”
That is her ninth spherical of 60 or worse on the LPGA, the newest being Lucy Lee’s 2024 spherical at Pinnacle Nation Cub in Arkansas.
Kim Byung-hyun additionally began on the tenth gap and hit 28 photographs on the entrance 9, ending with birdies, eagles, and birdies, together with a gap out from the green on the par-4 eighth gap.
Nelly Korda, who opened the yr with a 54-hole victory in Florida and was runner-up in California final week, holed out for eagle from the 18th fairway halfway by her spherical and shot a 63, one in all her profession bests. I used to be 3 strokes behind her.
All of them performed within the morning and have been unlikely to be caught within the afternoon when temperatures rose to 100 levels (38 levels Celsius).
Gino Titicle, the No. 1 participant in ladies’s golf, was additionally among the many laggards. She was simply 2 beneath on the flip.
The large shock for Ko wasn’t the rating, however the gear she used. Kiwi not often tinkers along with his putter, however earlier this week he determined to change to a distinct mannequin.
“It has been some time since I attempted one other mannequin,” Coe mentioned of the Scotty Cameron 12 he utilized in Whirlwind. “It rolled rather well. I acquired it within the bag on Tuesday. … It is solely been one spherical, nevertheless it’s an excellent begin. You already know, it could not have been higher.”
Ke was amongst six gamers who shot 65 or increased within the morning wave. The course should not have been really easy for Lexi Thompson, who performed a restricted schedule and shot a 15-shot 75 in her debut in 2026.
