Anything can happen in match play. Just ask Lydia Ko.

A day after the No. 3 seed was surprisingly upset 6 and 4 by No. 62 Hira Naveed on day one of the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards, Ko closed out No. 35 Gabriela Ruffels 6 and 5 on day two of round-robin group play at Shadow Creek Golf Course.

“I love match play,” Ko told Golf Channel after her match on Thursday. “I came off yesterday, I didn't really feel like I lost that bad. I still had a chance. This is my first time playing match-play format in a while. It was cool to be in that different environment, but obviously better to win 6 up than 6 down.”

That’s not to say Ko’s round was flawless on Thursday. The 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion opened with back-to-back bogeys to begin her match with Ruffels and said she put herself in some awkward positions throughout her round, similar to how she struggled on day one in her match with Naveed.

Ko said knowing where to miss the ball around Shadow Creek is critically important, as is strategically thinking her way around the golf course. Those were two key aspects of her game that Ko felt like she was able to improve upon during her match on Thursday.

“I think this golf course, you just have to be smart, and as silly as it sounds, sometimes you're hitting short irons, and you're not going to hit it on the green because it's so firm,” Ko said of her strategy this week. “Sometimes being smart rather than being aggressive is probably going to be more crucial at this event.”

Given the complexity of Shadow Creek, Ko was thrilled to see the format change back to what it had been for the T-Mobile Match Play in 2023. In 2024, the tournament introduced a stroke-play element to the competition, but Ko believes the return to the round-robin group play over the first three days followed by single elimination over the weekend is a better fit for the layout at Shadow Creek.

“I think taking that stroke-play format out of it is smart because it's literally between you and the golf course and your opponent, and not trying to scramble to make up and downs and get in the top eight,” Ko said about the format change. “I'm sure I'm going to still be put in some positions and be scratching my head. The more times you play this golf course, you're probably going to get a little bit more familiar with it.”

Ko will face the third and final member of her group in pool play on Friday, the No. 30 seed Carlota Ciganda, who is a seven-time member of the European Solheim Cup Team. Ciganda has been a force for the Europeans over the years and owns a record of 12-11-4 in the biennial team competition. Ciganda fell to Ruffels on day one of the T-Mobile Match Play but rebounded with a win against Naveed on Thursday.

But as Ko knows, anything can happen in match play.

“Carlota and I have very different games. She hits it a lot further than me, so I'm sure she's going to hit much shorter clubs into the greens than me, which could be an advantage,” Ko said, looking ahead to the match-up on Friday. “I don't feel like I'm too shabby at match play either. But it's going to be a fun game. I think Carlota is an amazing player and great friend, so it should be fun regardless.”

Ko Keeps Weekend Hopes Alive, Defeats Ruffels 6 and 5 on Thursday

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