Lydia Ko loses ball after horrendous tee shot, makes quad early at 2023 USWO

Lydia Ko began her U.S. Women’s Open with a birdie at the par-4 first and followed it up with pars at the next three holes.

That’s where the fun stopped for the third-ranked player in the world.

Ko stepped to the tee at the 182-yard par-3 fifth and hooked an iron so far left that her tee shot found a group of bushes that seemingly wouldn’t be in play for the best players in the world.

A search ensued, but her ball was never found.

The trouble didn’t end there for Ko.

Her provisional wound up in the greenside bunker that guards the front of the fifth green. From there, she could only advance her fourth to the primary rough between the bunker and the green.

Full-field scores from the U.S. Women’s Open

A poor chip left her with an 8-footer for triple, which she was unable to convert.

She finally headed to the sixth tee after a bewildering quad that sent her to 3 over.