Ko records personal-best 60, holds one-shot lead at Ford Championship

PHOENIX — Lydia Ko began her round with four consecutive birdies and maintained her momentum on Thursday, ultimately finishing with the best round of her LPGA Tour career at 12-under 60, capping off a day characterized by exceptionally low scores in the Ford Championship.

Defending champion Hyo Joo Kim recorded a 61, marking the first instance since the 2003 Kellogg-Keebler Classic where two players finished the opening round at double digits under par.

“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,” Ko remarked. “Like every golfer, when things are going well, you also consider the potential for things to go wrong. I believe I remained patient and was putting well.”

A slow beginning to her 13th season transformed on the Cattail course at Whirlwind Golf Club when the 28-year-old Ko found her rhythm following a rare change in her putter, leading to a series of birdies.

She mentioned that the thought of achieving a 59—Annika Sorenstam’s only sub-60 round in LPGA history, accomplished 25 years ago on a different Phoenix course—crossed her mind after she birdied her 14th and 15th holes, having started on No. 10.

However, she did not strike a 7-foot birdie putt firmly enough on the par-5 seventh. Ko concluded her round with two additional birdies, marking her career-low score.

“That would have been nice to hole that one,” Ko stated. “But who knows? Maybe if I had made that one, I might not have made the other two. You can’t dwell on ‘what if?’ I made some other birdies that I didn’t anticipate, so it kind of balances out in that regard.”

This marked the ninth round of 60 or lower in LPGA history, with the most recent being Lucy Li’s performance at Pinnacle Country Club in Arkansas in 2024.

Kim also started on No. 10 and recorded a 28 on the front nine, finishing with a birdie-eagle-birdie sequence, which included a hole-out from the fairway on the par-4 eighth hole.

Nelly Korda, who began the year with a 54-hole victory in Florida and was the runner-up last week in California, made an eagle from the 18th fairway during her round and finished with a score of 63, one of her best performances. She was three shots behind.

All players competed in the morning, making it unlikely that anyone in the afternoon would catch up, as temperatures approached 100 degrees (38 Celsius).

Jeeno Thitikul, the top-ranked player in women’s golf, was among those who started later and was only 2 under at the turn.

The notable aspect for Ko was not just her score but the equipment she utilized. The Kiwi typically does not make changes to her putter but opted for a different model earlier in the week.

“It’s been a while since I have tried a different model,” Ko said regarding her Scotty Cameron 12 used at Whirlwind. “It just rolled well. It went in the bag on Tuesday. … This has only been one round, but it’s a good start. You know, it really couldn’t have been any better.”

Ko was among six players from the morning group who shot 65 or better. The course did not appear to be as accommodating for Lexi Thompson, who plays a limited schedule and made her 2026 debut with a 75, leaving her 15 shots behind.