In professional golf, a single misjudged swing can cascade into disaster. Remember how Charley Hull ended up with a quadruple bogey on a par-five fifth hole last week? A simple wayward drive can turn a hole into a double bogey or even worse. Yet Lydia Ko didn’t let that happen at the 2026 AIG Women’s Open. She turned what could have been a catastrophic sequence into a masterclass in composure.

After her tee shot on the par-five seventh hole, the New Zealander was all set to approach the green. However, when she took her second shot, the ball took an awkward bounce and rolled onto the rough and went inside the coat of a spectator who was sitting just outside the ropes to enjoy the game. The LPGA shared an X post with a video about the same.

When Lydia Ko found that the ball landed inside the lady’s coat, she called an official to ask what could be done. The official asked her to place a pin at the ball’s location. Only after placing the pin was the woman with her coat on allowed to get up. Commentators, spectators, and Ko herself were laughing at the situation.

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This could have easily derailed her round. Hole 7 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes is the longest on the course. It stretches around 586 yards. It’s a strategic minefield designed to punish even slight errors. There are a total of 14 bunkers that guard the hole. Six of them surround a long but narrow green that slopes from front to back. Therefore, distance control and trajectory become critical on this hole.

The links condition adds another layer of difficulty. Considering all of that and the ball in the rough, Lydia Ko was in a very difficult situation. However, she was able to finish the hole in par.

This wasn’t her only heroics in the third round of the AIG Women’s Open. Earlier, on the par-four third hole, the 29-year-old’s ball landed in a bunker. She played an over-powered third shot to get out of the bunker, but it veered off the fringe and down the slope. However, she hit an unbelievable chip-in shot to land the ball straight into the cup. Even the commentators were amazed and asked viewers to “take a bow.”

Both par saves helped Lydia Ko maintain a solid position heading into the final day. While she remained several shots off the lead, the 23-time LPGA winner stayed in contention with consistent play through the first three rounds. Ko opened the tournament with an even-par 72 before moving to one under par after two rounds. She then carded another even-par round on Saturday to sit tied for 12th on the leaderboard, though several players were still out on the course.

Her third round featured an up-and-down performance. She made two bogeys and a birdie on the front nine before recovering on the back with two consecutive birdies and another bogey to card an even-par 72. At the time of writing, she was tied for 12th on the leaderboard alongside Nelly Korda, Jin Hee Im, and Paula Martin Sampedro. However, many professionals are yet to finish their round, and there’s a good chance that Lydia Ko may either rise or fall further on the leaderboard.

Lydia Ko’s ability to stay composed through unexpected trouble once again showed why she remains one of the game’s most reliable performers.