Kiwi Lydia Ko isn't sugar-coating the disappointment of missing the cut at last week's Meijer LPGA Classic.
"I just try to keep being positive and I think that's sometimes been a struggle," Ko said, before this week's KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
"I think if people say, 'Oh no, like it's just rainbows and sunny days, after missing a cut', I feel like that wouldn't be the most honest answer."
Ko admits this has been a frustrating year on the course. After a resurgent 2022 campaign that culminated with winning the Race to the CME Globe, Ko has only one top-10 finish in seven LPGA Tour events this year - a tie for sixth at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.
She missed the cut at the first Major of the year at the Chevron Championship, and posted a T42 and T33 in the next two LPGA events, before last week's missed cut.
"I think it's been frustrating the last couple months, but my team and my family have been trying to keep me grounded, and say, 'Hey, we're still moving in the right direction'," she said.
The Women's PGA hasn't been particularly kind to Ko over the years, including a T46 and T52 the past two years, but she enters this week No.3 in the Rolex Rankings and believes her game is in better shape than recent scores would indicate.
Ko says the key this week is staying patient at a difficult course like Baltusrol in Springfield, New Jersey - and putting well.
"Hopefully being able to bring all that together," she said. "That's the weird thing and fun thing and frustrating thing about golf is that every day, it's different.
"Everything is clicking for you one day or that week, and then it may not be the case the week after.
"Sometimes, your 'B' game is still good and sometimes your 'A' game is not good enough.
"You're just trying to play the best you can and have fun, and at such a venue, where there's been so much history, it would be pretty cool to be part of that."
Ko, who also married at the end of 2022, tees off at 6:01am (NZ time) Friday for the opening round, accompanied by world No.1 Jin-Young Ko of Korea and American world No.2 Nelly Korda.
Reuters
