Lydia Ko delivered the round of her LPGA Tour career Thursday, firing a scintillating 12-under 60 to grab a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Ford Championship at Whirlwind Golf Club in Phoenix.
The 28-year-old New Zealander began her round in spectacular fashion, opening with four consecutive birdies before maintaining her hot streak throughout the day on the Cattail course.
"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 said. "I think like as every golfer, when things go well you also think about the things that could go terribly wrong. I feel like I stayed patient and was rolling it really well."
Ko's historic round represents the ninth time a player has shot 60 or lower on the LPGA Tour, with Lucy Li achieving the most recent such score in Arkansas in 2024. The benchmark of 59 remains exclusive to Annika Sorenstam, who accomplished the feat 25 years ago on a different Phoenix course.
Defending champion Hyo Joo Kim fired an equally impressive 61, creating the first instance since the 2003 Kellogg-Keebler Classic where two players posted double-digit under-par scores in an opening round. Kim started on the 10th hole and scorched the front nine in 28 strokes, finishing with a birdie-eagle-birdie flourish that included a spectacular hole-out from the fairway on the par-4 eighth.
"That would have been nice to hole that one," Ko said, referring to a 7-foot birdie attempt on the par-5 seventh that came up short. "But who knows? Maybe if I holed that one I might not have holed the other two. You can't think about 'what if?' Birdied some other ones that I didn't expect, so kind of just evens out in that sense."
Nelly Korda, fresh off a season-opening victory in Florida and a runner-up finish last week in California, sits three shots back after a 63. Her round featured a dramatic hole-out eagle from the 18th fairway and represents one of the career-best scores for the world's former No. 1.
Morning conditions proved ideal for scoring, with all the low rounds coming before afternoon temperatures soared near 100 degrees. World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul faced the challenging afternoon conditions and managed just 2-under at the turn.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Ko's historic round was the equipment change that preceded it. The typically conservative Ko made a rare switch to a different putter model earlier in the week.
"It's been a while since I have tried a different model," Ko said of her Scotty Cameron 12. "It just rolled good. Went in the bag on Tuesday... This has only been one round but it's a good start. You know, really couldn't have been any better."
The torrid scoring pace highlighted the contrast in conditions, with six players from the morning wave shooting 65 or better. Meanwhile, Lexi Thompson, making her 2025 debut on a limited schedule, struggled to a 75 that left her 15 shots off the pace.