30 Mar 2017

Ko's crown on the line in California

11:47 am on 30 March 2017

New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko is in danger of losing her world number one ranking in the women's game.

Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko could lose her number one ranking if her form from last week is anything to go by. Photo: Photosport

Ko heads into the first major of the year this weekend, the ANA Inspiration, as the defending champion and world number one but that could change if her form from last week remains.

The 19-year-old missed the cut at last week's Kia Classic for just the second time in her career.

Closing in on Ko's number one spot, the honour she's held since the age of 17, is arguably the game's best player at the moment - Ariya Jutanugarn from Thailand.

Thailand golfer Ariya Jutanugarn.

Ariya Jutanugarn is closing in on Lydia Ko. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Jutanugarn, 21, pipped Ko for the LPGA Tour Player of the Year award last season and has had four top 10 finishes out of six tournaments so far this year.

Ko, on the other hand, is undergoing swing changes since she parted ways with her coach of three years, David Leadbetter, late last year.

She is now under the guidance of South African swing guru Gary Gilchrist, who has made noticeable changes to her swing.

Ko has had three top 10 finishes out of five tournaments so far this season, but last week's missed cut has closed the gap between her and Jutanugarn.

Jutanugarn needs to win at Rancho Mirage in California this week and Ko needs to finish outside the top five for the Thai golfer to be crowned the new number one.

In the ANA Inspiration's pre-tournament press conference, Ko brushed off any suggestion she was feeling the pressure heading into the week as defending champion after missing the cut last week, putting it down instead to a bad week with the putter.

Over her two rounds Ko had more than 60 putts, which is unheard of for the affable New Zealander.

It's (the putter) been very on and off but mostly not on the past few weeks. I've been trying to work on it a bit more here, the greens are so pure here so I've got nothing to blame.

I'm just going to try erase last week, I know that even though I missed the cut there were still a lot of positives. The things that I've been working on in the off season (swing changes) they're starting to show little by little. I think they're the confidence boosters.

Ko said given where her game's at at the moment ,with the changes to her swing, her world ranking hasn't been a huge priority.

I've been trying to not think about what ranked player I am.

When we're out there we're all golfers trying to make as many birdies and eagles as we can rather than thinking about 'I'm the number one ranked player, she's number two, she's number 90'. We're all golfers trying to play the best and hopefully be the one holding the trophy at the end on Sunday.

Ko's first round at the ANA Inspiration gets underway just after 9.30am tomorrow.

-RNZ

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs

We have regular online commentary of local and international sport.