“I just try to keep being positive, and that’s sometimes been a struggle,” Ko said on Wednesday ahead of this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“If people say, ‘It’s just rainbows and sunny days after missing a cut’, I feel like that wouldn’t be the most honest answer.”
It was the latest setback in what Ko admits 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 in seven LPGA Tour events this year – a tie for sixth at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.
Ko missed the cut at the first major of the year, April’s Chevron Championship in Texas, and posted a T42 and T33 in the next two LPGA events before last week’s missed cut.
“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 ranked No.3 in the world, and says her game is in better shape than her recent scores would indicate.
The New Zealander said the key this week is staying patient at a difficult course like Baltusrol. That, 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 – 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.”
Ko will tee off at 4.01am Friday AEST alongside world No.1 Jin Young Ko, of Korea, and the USA’s No.2-ranked Nelly Korda.