Lydia Ko Surprises Even Her Own Team With Sudden Putter Switch That Delivered Instant Results

That reaction makes sense given Ko’s history. She has always been a Scotty Cameron loyalist, but one model, for a long time.

“It’s very unusual for me to change out of my putter,” she said. “It’s been a while since I have tried a different model than my prototype.”

Her caddie and Lottie Woad noticed on hole two. Ko had already made the first putt she looked at.

“Lottie said on the second hole, like, oh, you got a new putter,” Ko recalled. “I was like, well, at least I holed the first one, so it was a good start.”

From there, it just clicked for her. She began with four birdies in a row, which she said she’d never done to start a round.

Around the sixth hole, she started thinking about 59. Only Annika Sorenstam has reached that number on the LPGA Tour, so she knew how big it would be. For a bit, it didn’t feel out of reach.

She ended up with a 60, one shot shy. Still, she walked off the course smiling.

The Putter Got the Attention, But Lydia Ko’s Ball-Striking Told the Bigger Story

Lydia Ko didn’t overcomplicate it when she spoke after the round. She exactly pointed out that she was finding more greens than she usually does, and that left her with a lot of birdie looks.

One moment Lydia Ko brought up was on the 13th, as she made a long putt, around 40 feet, and laughed about it later. She felt she’d hit it a bit too strongly, but it still went in.

As the round went on, the greens got faster. Instead of forcing anything, she just adjusted slightly and kept her stroke shorter.

After the opening round, she’s in a good position at the Ford Championship. The Scotty Cameron 12 is still new for her, but it’s already helping, and for now, that one round tells its own story.