Lydia Ko matches Annika Sorenstam for the longest string of competitive rounds under par at 29.
Just when it appeared that Annika Sorenstam’s record of consecutive under-par rounds was safe from Lydia Ko, the 17-year-old world No. 1 put the hammer down in Thursday's opening round of the ANA Inspiration and matched the 10-time major champion at 29.
Ko, whose streak was threatened by a punishing wind at Mission Hills, finished with a two-putt par on the par-5 ninth hole for a 1-under 71 that included five birdies and four bogeys. With no bogeys on her incoming nine holes, Ko put herself firmly in contention for the ANA title, a win that would make her the youngest LPGA Tour winner of a major event.
Ko’s opening-round playing partner, defending champion Lexi Thompson, consistently outdrove the 17-year-old world No. 1, but came in at even-par, three shots behind early clubhouse leader, British phenom, Charley Hull.
Lydia Ko is about 15 yards longer than she was two years ago, but she is still about 25-30 yards shorter than Lexi Thompson.
— Randall Mell (@RandallMellGC) April 2, 2015
The wind wreaked havoc on tee shots all over the Dinah Shore Tournament Course during the morning wave but the gusts ebbed as Ko made the turn to the front nine at 1-over 37.
Starting on No. 10 with the wind up was a double whammy, as players face a tougher test on Nos. 10 though 18 than on the outgoing nine. While Ko was uncharacteristically wild off the tee, pull-hooking several shots, her stellar short game saved her time and again.
Consider the 185-yard par-3 5th, where the winner of six LPGA Tour events yanked her iron and was lucky to come up short of the pond. Ever the cool tactician, Ko calmly chipped close enough to the pin for a tap-in.
The Streak lives on, and it's incredible to realize that Ko is just beginning. She entered the season’s first major with those 28 straight sub-par competitive rounds and with other runs that remind many observers of a young Tiger Woods.
The youngest player of either gender to be ranked No. 1 in the world, Ko has 10 consecutive top-10 finishes on tour that include two wins and, prior to Thursday, was a combined 94-under in 2015. She has also never missed a cut in the 48 LPGA tourneys she has started as an amateur and a professional.
More impressive, perhaps, than her on-course play is the way the teenager approaches life and her game.
"I'm sure that thought [matching Sorenstam’s 29-straight record] is going to come up within those 18 holes, but I'm just going to try and have fun," she said Wednesday. "I'm going to be concentrating on that moment, and at the end of the day, my goal is to try and play well for this week. If I break the record, or if I tie it, or if I don't break it, I'm so happy that I can get so close to it."
Suffice it to say, another sub-par round on Friday would place Ko in a class by herself.
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