Lydia Ko won five times on the LPGA in 2015 and four times in 2016. Yet she calls this season, in which she has won only once, her most consistent yet.
The proof is in her scoring average. Heading into this week’s BMW Ladies Championship, Ko’s 69.176 average led the tour. Minjee Lee, her nearest competitor, would need to average 68.389 in her remaining events to pass the Kiwi. Xiyu Lin and Brooke Henderson would have to average rounds of 66.480 or better to have any chance.
Ko, 25, has eight top-five finishes in her last 11 starts dating to the U.S. Women’s Open. During that stretch, she has gained 2.84 strokes against the field per round.
“Even when I was No. 1, I had won more frequently in that season and didn’t have as many top 10s or the percentage of top 10s compared to how many events I was playing,” said Ko. “I’m getting older, so I am playing less events than my rookie year or my first few years on tour, but it’s definitely nice to be in contention a little bit more frequently, and I think that just boosts the confidence levels.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s a momentum thing. You know, when you start playing well, it would defeat off the good energy, the good things that went on from the week before and trying to feed on the week after. I think I’ve been able to do that pretty well.”
Ko currently holds a share of fifth at the BMW, four strokes back of leader Andrea Lee, after matching rounds of 68.
A 17-time winner on the LPGA, Ko won the Vare Trophy for the first time last season. The award comes with an LPGA Hall of Fame point. A player must earn 27 points to enter the LPGA HOF. Ko currently has 21 points.
“I think especially at this last kind of from the middle of the season to where it is now,” said Ko, “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten too hyped up about it or too down and that’s just allowed me to play more freely. That’s a good place for me to personally be at.”