Lydia Ko Powers Through Injury on Her Birthday to Salvage Opening Round at Chevron Championship
Lydia Ko Powers Through Injury on Her Birthday to Salvage Opening Round at Chevron Championship
Lydia Ko celebrated her 28th birthday with a remarkable display of grit and resilience at the 2025 Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas. Despite battling a painful right arm injury caused by a neck spasm earlier in the week, Ko managed to grind out a one-over-par 73 in the opening round of the LPGA’s first major of the season.
The round didn’t start easily for the New Zealander, who bogeyed three of her first six holes. Yet, showing the poise and composure that have defined her career, Ko steadied her play with nine consecutive pars and finished strong with birdies on two of her final three holes. Her effort left her eight shots behind early co-leaders Yan Liu and Haeran Ryu, who each fired impressive seven-under-par 65s to set the pace.
After her round, Ko’s birthday was made a little sweeter when she was surprised with a custom cake from The Club at Carlton Woods’ pastry chef — a charming creation adorned with vanilla bean frosting, pink flowers, and a golf ball design.
Ko, a 23-time LPGA Tour champion and a Hall of Fame inductee, knows what it takes to win at this level, having claimed the Chevron Championship (then played at Mission Hills in California) back in 2016. While the injury has added an extra layer of difficulty to this week’s challenge, Ko remains optimistic. She credited her team for helping her manage the discomfort and emphasized that the focus is now on maintaining her health and building momentum over the next three rounds.
As the tournament continues, Lydia Ko will look to draw on her wealth of experience and fighting spirit, aiming to stay in contention and, perhaps, turn a tough start into a memorable birthday week.
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