Lydia Ko is putting well with her new putter, but the ball is not going into the hole. That is the issue the golfer is facing.

She has been playing well but not getting results in the last two rounds. The 28-year-old shot 3-under on Saturday at Whirlwind Golf Club. She played calmly and steadily, but is still waiting for her putts to start going in.

"The last couple days I really haven't holed many putts," Ko said. "Hopefully I'll be able to hole a few more tomorrow."

Day 1 was very different. Ko made almost every putt she hit in Round 1. Since then, the greens have become harder, the wind has gotten stronger, and the course is much tougher than it was on the first day.

"The golf course is definitely getting a lot firmer," she said. "I find it much more difficult to judge the speed and read the greens."

She is adjusting. A score of 3-under without any big mistakes on a harder Saturday is still a good result. But the more interesting part is what she is using in her bag this week.

Lydia Ko's New Putter Has Her Believing Sunday Could Be Different

Ko is using a brand new Scotty Cameron No. 12 putter this week, and it’s looking promising even though she is still getting used to it.

She joked that if it were a No. 13, she might have shot 13-under. But behind the joke, you can see she is feeling more confident.

"It was definitely some of the most putts I've holed in the span of the past few months," Ko said. "It feels a little bit more sturdy under pressure."

Saturday tested that. Ko felt she struck her putts purely all day, but the cup just wouldn't cooperate.

"I felt like I rolled it really well," she said. "I know that when I consistently roll it well, then at some point it's going to fall."

That’s not a player just trying to stay positive. That’s someone who really trusts what she’s doing.

The course is getting harder, the wind is stronger, and she is still getting used to her putter, but Ko has handled all of it and is still in a good position going into Sunday. If her putts start going in, things could change quickly.

Do you think her putter will start working on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Shraabona Sengupta