TURNBERRY, Scotland – Such a strange thing to be vying for the youngest-player-to-win-a-major record while at the same time be considered the LPGA’s “best player to never win a major.” But that’s Lydia Ko, an uncommon player who doesn’t really care much for records and titles anyway.
“I guess you guys will let me know when there is a record,” Ko told the media, “or that I might be getting close to one.”
Ko will be 18 years, 3 months and 9 days old on Sunday, which means a victory at the Ricoh Women’s British Open would break Morgan Pressel’s record of 18 years, 10 months and 9 days, set at the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
The humble Kiwi opened with a 6-under 66 at Trump Turnberry, teeing off at 6:41 a.m. on Thursday. Her alarm went off at 3:30 a.m., but she kept pressing snooze. She normally likes to get around nine hours of sleep, but found it difficult to get to bed at 6:30 p.m. on this side of the world.
Ko and her family are staying in the villas here at Turnberry, which means her mom was in charge of breakfast. It didn’t take long for Ko to wake up; she birdied four consecutive holes from Nos. 2-5 and made the turn in 32. The tidy 66 marks her lowest round in a major.
“Got the ideal draw,” said her caddie, Jason Hamilton. “Well, it looks like the ideal draw at this stage. She had to go out and take advantage of that because we don’t know what the next three days are going to hold. Got to make birdies while the sun shines.”
Hamilton, who began working for Ko last fall in Malaysia, was on the bag for both of Yani Tseng’s British Open titles in 2010 and ’11, as well as Karen Lunn’s victory at Woburn in 1993. The Aussie said Ko never talks about winning a major.
“If she does feel that pressure,” he said, “she hides it very well from me.”
Hyo Joo Kim, the LPGA rookie who won the Evian last year in her major debut, opened with a bogey-free 65. But it’s not her best round in a major by a mile. Kim opened Evian with a record-breaking 10-under 61.
“Well, thank God it’s not windy,” Kim said of Thursday’s conditions. “Not much wind when I played and no rain today.”
Cristie Kerr matched Ko’s round of 66 for a share of second, notching seven birdies and an eagle. The 17-time tour winner said she was proud of her mental game on Thursday, noting that she was able to maintain her momentum even after a miscue.
“I just have to take it day by day,” she said. “Of course, I’ve already won this year; that’s not in question. But I just have to keep going for it.”
Kerr and Turnberry owner Donald Trump are good friends, with Trump making Kerr an honorary member at all of his courses.
“I know there was a lot of media speculation around some comments that were made,” said Kerr, “but everybody has made mistakes, right?
“The tour loves Donald.”
