Golf: How Lydia Ko is trying to overturn a frustrating start to 2019

Lydia Ko lines up a putt. Photo / Photosport

Lydia Ko's coach has made a frank admission as the former world number one prepares to return to the LPGA Tour: they've neglected her putting and what was a strength is now a weakness.

Ko lines up in the Founders Cup in Phoenix Arizona on Friday having not played this month, instead spending time honing her game with coach Ted Oh.

The 21-year-old has endured a frustrating start to the season with an eighth-placed finish in her first tournament of the year, followed by a missed cut at the Australian Women's Open and a tie for 19th and a tie for 11th in her last two starts in Thailand and Singapore.

Oh, who has coached Ko since the start of last season, has revealed while her game from tee to green is in great shape, the emphasis on the long game has come at the expense of putting, and they have been working hard to address that vital part of the game.

"This past year we have been focusing so much on the long game that we didn't dedicate ourselves to the putting and we just assumed it would stay good," Oh said.

"But now we are focusing so much more on practicing putting because three putts are killing our momentum and missing easy birdie putts are killing our momentum."

"Lydia's swing is working well, her long game is good and right now her focus is on putting which used to be a strength before. She is stroking the ball really good but it is not dropping," he added.

Ko has tried a new model of putter from PXG this year and she's also had to adjust to new rules preventing caddies from lining up putts. Oh says those factors are not an excuse for her putting woes.

"They are very strict about it this year but for Lydia her caddie used to line it up, but it doesn't bother her and she found that easy to adjust. I think as she gets more confident she will be ok," Oh said.

This week's tournament is played on one of the longer courses on tour and Oh thinks Ko can be a strong contender.

"She has picked up distance off the tee this year and the course is wide and favours the big hitters. If we solve this putting situation she will start having some really low scores."