Fine Line

Sorting through the stats that detail Lydia Ko’s career reveals the complicated chemistry of championship golf. Nothing drastic jumps out. It’s difficult to say that someone sitting at No. 16 in the Rolex Rankings is in a slump. But the gentle decline in her performance indicates something is askew; that Ko has fallen to the wrong side of the fine line between winning and contending.

As she marked her 22nd birthday on April 24, the day before the start of last week’s Hugel-Air Premia LA Open, Ko assessed her game with the same even-keeled approach with which she handles all aspects of her life. If there is frustration, confusion or doubt it is well disguised behind a polite, polished demeanor.

However, equally fine is the line between acceptance and realism, even though the truth of the matter could well be that the picture is no clearer from the inside than it is from out.  It’s not so much that Ko is searching for answers as she is trying to figure out which questions to ask.

There was a dichotomy to her defense of the Medi...