Ko blow as LPGA star hit with SEVEN shot penalty

Lydia Ko probably just wants this year to be over.

After a three-win season in 2022, the two-time major champion has had a torrid time of it since her tied-6th in her first event of this season at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February, which remains her only finish inside the top 30 on the LPGA so far this year.

And her woes were compounded on Sunday when she was hit with a seven-stroke penalty at the Dana Open.

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So what happened?

Well, the confusion began on Saturday, when the entire field were allowed preferred lies following a four-hour rain delay during the third round had left the course sodden.

But for the final round players were told preferred lies would remain for just the first and 10th holes at Highland Meadows.

The vital slice of information clearly never reached Ko, who did not have regular caddie David Jones on the bag, as she picked up her ball on the third, seventh and ninth holes before replacing it and playing from a different spot each time.

Then, on the 11th, the New Zealander called for a ruling after marking her ball, and that is when officials were made aware of what had happened.

Because she had not yet placed her ball, Ko was able to return it to its original spot and was handed a one-shot penalty for deliberately touching and moving her ball under rule 9.4b.

But she was docked two shots for each of the infringements on the third, seventh and ninth holes as she did not return her ball to its original position, as per rule 14.7a.

Ko went on to card a final-round 71 to finish in a tie for 65th at one-over par – a drop that cost her around $10,000 in prize money.

It was a happier day for Sweden’s Linn Grant, who carded rounds of 64, 69, 62 and 68 to edge out US Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz for her first LPGA title.

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor