Updated March 26, 2026, 5:11 p.m. ET
Lydia Ko used to hate birdieing the first hole, a kind of twisted superstition that she eventually outgrew.
“I’m like what happens when you hit it to a foot, right? It’s not like you’re going to miss that putt because you’re worried about what the rest of your day is going to be like,” said Ko.
On Thursday in the desert at the Ford Championship, Ko birdied her first hole (No. 10) at Whirlwind Golf Club’s Cattail Course, and then birdied the next three, too. After a front-nine 30, she kept it rolling and after her 15th hole of the day, when she stood 10 under, she started thinking about 59 for the first time.
An unfortunate par on the par-5 seventh quickly followed.
Ko aimed inside right on the her 6-foot birdie putt on the seventh, believes she hit it a touch too soft.
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Birdies on her last two holes from 20 feet and 7 feet, respectively, left her with a career-low 12-under 60 and a big smile on her face.
“It wasn’t like I had a lot of pressure to like break 60,” said Ko. “It was just more like, oh, it’s really cool to be in this position. I think that’s my career low score.”
Ko, who put a new putter in the bag this week, hit 17 greens and took only 25 putts on the day. Her previous career low was a 62, shot on three different occasions, most recently at the 2021 Chevron Championship. This was Ko’s 1,030th career round on the LPGA.
It’s only the eighth time in tour history that anyone has carded a 60 and the fourth time since 2010. Jessica Korda (2021), Linnea Strom (2024) and Lucy Li (2024) are the most recent.
Annika Sorenstam remains the only player to break 60 in an LPGA event, carding a 59 at the 2001 Stanford Register Ping in Phoenix.
Defending champion Hyo Joo Kim, last week’s winner at the Fortinet Founders Cup, carded an 11-under 61, matching the score she posted in Round 1 of the 2014 Evian Championship, which she went on to win. Kim played the last three holes in 4 under, with an eagle on the par-4 eighth.
It marked the first time since the 2023 Kellogg-Keebler Classic that at least two players reached double-digits under par after the first round.
When asked to describe the zone, Ko said she got into a good momentum and, because she wasn’t out of position many times, it was easier to be in rhythm.
“I think when you’re in to the zone you’re just focused and there is not as many external thoughts going in and out of your head,” said Ko. “You’re just focused on what shot you have in front of you and then — and not get too carried away about the outcome of it.
“Staying in the zone is almost like being able to switch on and off between shots and having full commitment when you’re about to hit it. Outside of that, just being as relaxed as possible.”
Ko isn’t worried about the 6-footer she missed on the seventh, saying had that gone in, who knows if she would’ve made the other two to finish.
For a player who came into the year concerned that she wasn’t hitting enough greens, those 17 greens in regulation felt really good.
As for the putter, well, Ko isn’t one to switch models that often. Even the guys at Scotty Cameron were surprised when she decided to put the new Scotty Cameron 12 in the bag on Tuesday.
“You know, really couldn’t have been any better,” she said of their first official round together.
As a player who has done almost everything there is do in this game, qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame by winning Olympic gold for example, it would’ve been serendipitous for Ko to be the one to join Sorenstam in the 59 club 25 years later.
While it would’ve been a nice addition to the resume, Ko wasn’t at all bummed when she stepped to the podium after the round.
“We all know golf is a game of inches,” she said. “Days when it goes well it lips in and days it really doesn’t it lips out … there wasn’t really that much difference in execution.
“So you just have to go with the flow. I think 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.”
