Lydia Ko made an eagle on the par-5 13th hole, the highlight of a 5-under-par 67 Thursday, putting the LPGA Hall of Famer in a share of second place after the opening round of the Mizuho Americas Open at Mountain Ridge Country Club.

The 29-year-old finished the one shot behind first-round leader Andrea Lee, who posted a 6-under 66. Ko sits in a tie for second with Jeeno Thitikul heading into the second round.

Starting on the back nine, Ko opened with a par at the 10th hole before a bogey at the 11th hole dropped her to 1-over for the day. She answered immediately with a birdie at the par-4 12th hole to return to even, then made her move on the par-5 13th hole, where an eagle vaulted her to 2-under. She added birdies on the 16th and 18th holes to make the turn in 4-under 32.

The 23-time LPGA Tour winner stayed steady on the front nine, making five consecutive pars before picking up a birdie at the par-5 sixth hole to move to 5-under. A bogey at the seventh briefly checked her progress, but she responded with a birdie at the par-5 eighth hole to get back to 5-under and closed with a par at the ninth to sign for a 67.

Ko finished with five birdies, one eagle and two bogeys on the day. Course management proved to be a central theme throughout, particularly on Mountain Ridge's demanding putting surfaces, where Ko said knowing the correct miss was often as important as attacking the hole.

"I think you just have to know which side is a better side to miss," Ko said. "If you are in between clubs, if short is better, erring more on the shorter club — and if you can be aggressive, try and take advantage of that. Sometimes I'm just not going to put myself in good positions and I have to take my medicine and work my way from there."

Ko said her performance on the greens was an encouraging sign on a course that punishes anything careless with the flatstick.

"Yeah, I actually putted really well, which was a nice change," Ko said. "The greens are very undulating and tough, so I feel like you need to be really smart in where you leave your second shots. For the most part, I feel like I played quite smart, which is an extra bonus around a golf course like this."

Ko enters the week in solid form. She has made six of seven cuts this season with three top-10 finishes — a solo fourth at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, a tied for fifth at the Honda LPGA Thailand and a solo fourth at the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass — though she is still searching for her first win of 2026.

A three-time major champion and 23-time LPGA Tour winner, Ko was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 2024 following her gold medal performance at the Paris Olympics. She finished T11 at this event a year ago and will look to close the one-shot gap on Lee over the next three rounds.

Ko also took a moment after her round to reflect on one of the tournament's signature elements — its inclusion of American Junior Golf Association players in the field alongside LPGA Tour professionals.

"What Michelle has done by having the AJGA players I think is a really good opportunity and really good exposure for them," Ko said. "I wish that when I was a junior I had these kind of opportunities as well. They're so good. It's hard to believe that some of them are literally only like 14, 15 and they hit it just as far as me or further than me."

It is a sentiment that Ko understands better than most. She burst onto the world stage as a teenager, winning the CN Canadian Women's Open as an amateur at 15 before turning professional and becoming the youngest world No. 1 in LPGA Tour history — a reminder of just how far the right opportunity at the right age can take a young player.

Lydia Ko Eagles Her Way into Contention at Mizuho Americas Open

Related Articles