Ko plans long spell at home
Kiwi golfing sensation Lydia Ko has confirmed she’s headed home for her longest stretch since she turned professional, ahead of the New Zealand Women’s Open.
Ko is the official tournament host for the September 28 to October 1 LPGA event. Based in Orlando, the 20-year-old superstar hasn’t spent more than a week in her home country since 2014 – but confirms her spring stay in New Zealand will be a longer one.
‘‘Since I’ve been on tour, I’ve never really gone back home for over a week, in that period,’’ the former world No 1 said recently.
‘‘I think this is going to be the longest period that I’m going to be home. I’m
Since I’ve been on tour, I’ve never really gone back home for over a week. Lydia Ko
obviously very excited the tour is going to go to New Zealand, and I get to experience it in our backyard.’’
Last November, the LPGA announced that the New Zealand Women’s Open would be included in the tour calendar for the first time.
Understood to feature a US$1.3 million [NZ$1.77 million] winner’s cheque, the tournament, initially secured on a three-year LPGA deal, will be played at the Phi Tataurangi and Brett Thomson-designed Windross Farm course in south Auckland.
Ko, who has slipped to world No5 after losing the top ranking for the first time in 85 weeks in mid-June, was a three-time winner of the New Zealand Open at its former home at Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch.
Ko, who won a silver medal for women’s golf at the Rio Games last year, has had a difficult last year on tour. Though she scored seven top ten finishes, she is yet to notch up a LPGA title in 2017.
Ko says that she, and fellow New Zealanders Danny Lee and Ryan Fox, are keen to have some Kiwi company on the professional circuit – and that the tournament is the perfect way to grow interest in the game.
‘‘Golf is still growing in New Zealand,’’ Ko said. ‘‘Danny, Foxy and I – all the current top players – are doing our best to grow the game and get more juniors to play in it, so, in the future in these tours, there’ll be more people flying the New Zealand flag. I think this is a great step forward for golf in New Zealand.
‘‘We have such amazing golf courses and membership systems. I hope that more people will be able to take up the game and golf will be a lot bigger as if it was like rugby. We have such a great environment to grow golf in New Zealand and if we take advantage of that there could be future more medallists in the Olympics or playing in the international tournaments.’’