RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Pretty much every LPGA record that begins with the word "youngest" ends with the name Lydia Ko. Youngest to reach No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings. Youngest to win an LPGA event. Youngest to win a major. Youngest to win two majors. And now she might be the youngest to make major changes -- especially considering she entered this season with 14 wins and doesn't turn 20 until April 24.
Add to that the fact she has been the top-ranked woman since Feb. 2, 2015, and it's even more baffling why she has changed coach, caddie and clubs after a season in which she won four times. And the results have been decidedly mixed. She opened the year by finishing 46th, then showed glimmers of her form with two eighth-place finishes and a ninth. But last week at the Kia Classic, she missed the cut for only the second time since joining the tour in January 2014.
Ko, the reigning champion at the ANA Inspiration, the first major of the year, opened her defense with a workmanlike 2-under 70, leaving her three strokes off the lead after a first round that began Thursday but was halted at 4 p.m. PT when wind in excess of 60 mph downed so many trees. Play resumption was delayed until 9 a.m. PT Friday, and even then evidence of the destruction was everywhere.
"My ballstriking wasn't great," Ko said in the brief break to grab a bite to eat before heading back out for the second round. "I hit fairways, but I was not striking it solid. I did hit some good drives coming in, though."
What has held Ko back mostly this year has been her putting, prompting her to work with three different putters in the young season.
"I can't say I'm not happy with my putting because I didn't give myself very many opportunities today," Ko said Friday.
"Last week the greens were a lot different," she said in a kind reference to bumpy putting surfaces. "These greens here are perfect. There is nothing to blame out there."
With a 12:51 p.m. PT tee time, Ko was one of the lucky players able to finish two rounds Friday and avoid an early wake-up call Saturday to resume play. Ko backed up her 70 with another one, finishing shortly after 5 p.m. PT, while others had yet to start their second round.
The 4-under 140 left her three strokes behind Suzann Pettersen, who led after she finished 36 holes.
Among those who finished two rounds at 6-under were seven-time major winner Inbee Park, two-time major winner Cristie Kerr and American teen sensation Nelly Korda, setting up what could be a thrilling weekend.
"It's close," Ko said about her ballstriking. "And the putts will start dropping. I'm tired. But I get to sleep late tomorrow."
So what are we to make of all these changes? Caddie-wise, she says: "I felt like it was time for a change and just get another perspective." It's a safe guess she's being paid extremely well by PXG to play its highly regarded clubs. And her new coach, Gary Gilchrist, has a proven résumé that includes major champion winner Shanshan Feng and current Rolex No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn.
"We all have concerns about Lydia," said TV commentator Jerry Foltz, who walked with Ko during her first round at the ANA. "Why the changes? Who is she listening to? I think my greatest concern with Lydia is just [with] who is influencing those decisions. If it's all her in an effort to get better and to take advantage of what she's accomplished, then I'm all for it."
The generous way to look at Ko's changes is that she's a young woman taking control of her own life, a familiar battle on the LPGA in recent years as younger and younger players have turned pro and need to be accompanied by their parents as they travel the tour.
Ko opened up a little about that to LPGA.com.
"I think I have, yes, sometimes been too reliant on my parents because I am so used to being with them," she said. "But I think I need to learn more about taking ownership and making my own decisions."
Gilchrist is a great fit for the happy-go-lucky Ko, who has talked of retiring at age 30 and says if she ever wrote a book it would be called "Have Fun!" Gilchrist doesn't teach a swing but rather finds the swing that works best for the player.
"She's so self-sufficient and independent," Gilchrist said Friday as he walked along watching Ko play her first round. "I give her drills to do to find out what works for her. I look for a player's strengths and cater to them. Her strength is that she sees shots and plays golf. I don't take that away from her."
Ultimately, Gilchrist said, Ko's real strength is her attitude.
"Her golf IQ is off the charts," Gilchrist said. "She's knows she's going to miss shots. The most important is not to freak out when you hit a bad shot. Lydia is brilliant at that."
For the past 75 weeks, Ko has been the No. 1 player in women's golf -- and she's still a teenager. And falling to No. 2 is probably not a change she wants to make. She's starting the ANA as if she's determined to remain on top.