Ko leads by two at LPGA opener
ORLANDO, Fla. – Lydia Ko moved inside the gates at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club Christmas of 2019. Her mom got the place fixed up while Ko competed in the Asian swing that year. It turned out to be a great time to move as the world shut down not long after Ko set up shop in the tony community and never left.
“It was great that I could be inside the gates and I remember not being in a car for like three months,” said Ko of the 2020 pandemic. “I stayed in here, drove the cart around, and that’s it.
With one round to go in the seasonopening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Ko holds a twostroke lead over LPGA sophomore Alexa Pano, the former Netflix star who won in her rookie year on the LPGA in Northern Ireland.
The Kiwi shot 4-under 68 on a frigid day in central Florida, her last bogey coming on the 17th hole of the first round. Ko sits at 12 under for the tournament with another chilly day on the horizon.
Pano, meanwhile, carded the first bogey-free round of her LPGA career on Saturday, a 5-under 67, noting that her father/caddie, Rick, is particularly enjoying the celebrity portion of the event. Pano, a Massachusetts native, played alongside former Celtics player Ray Allen in the opening round and former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens in the second round.
“It’s really nice to have him with me this week and let him fan-girl a little bit,” said Pano.
Longtime Nona resident Annika Sorenstam stumbled in with a back-nine 43 to fall one point back of former NHL player Jeremy Roenick, who leads with 107 points in the Modified Stableford format. Sorenstam sits tied with former MLB All-Star Derek Lowe, who beat her in a playoff two years ago at this event.
“Very disappointed with the back nine,” said Sorenstam, “especially because I like the back nine. I don’t know why. Just didn’t happen.”
Now only two points shy of the 27 required to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, Ko could move one point closer with a victory at her home club. After a shockingly poor 2023 LPGA season, Ko sought the guidance of a new swing instructor in Si Woo Lee, who came to Lake Nona ahead of the Grant Thornton Invitational. Ko, of course, went on to win alongside partner Jason Day at Tiburon Golf Club, giving her a muchneeded boost as she entered a relatively short offseason.
European Tour
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy surged into contention at the Dubai Desert Classic by finishing off a 9-under 63 with an eagle on the final hole that left him two shots behind leader Cameron Young.
The No. 2-ranked McIlroy, the defending champion, started the day 10 strokes behind Young. But he made four straight birdies from the seventh hole and then rolled in a 45-foot eagle putt from off the green at 18 to cap a flawless round at Emirates Golf Club.
That putt kept him in striking distance of a record fourth title at the tournament, although the Northern Irishman said he was tempted to chip the ball after seeing how much fringe he had to get through.
“I was like, I’ll just sort of ride my luck with the putter, and it came out perfectly,” McIlroy said. “Obviously a huge bonus for something like that to go in. But you know, for the rest of the day, I played some very, very good golf. Definitely better than I played the last couple of days and nice to get myself right back in the tournament.”
Young got himself in some trouble by dropping three shots in two holes, with a double-bogey at the par-3 seventh followed by a bogey on the next hole. But he made three birdies on the back nine for a 71 to stay two shots ahead of McIlroy and Adrian Meronk, the recently crowned European tour’s player of 2023 who carded a 70.
Young has a 14-under total of 202 as he looks for a first win on the European tour.
“It would be a nice feeling (to win),” said Young, the runner-up at the 2022 British Open. “It’s one of those times that you feel like kind of at peace with what you’ve done and it’s something I would love to do tomorrow. I’ve put myself in another great place to have a chance and I’m happy with that.”
Rasmus Hojgaard (70) and Li Haotong (69) were another three shots back in a tie for fourth.