Ko enjoys Kiwi company at US Open
Two Kiwis will tee off in a women’s golf major for the first time in four years today, with Amelia Garvey joining Lydia Ko at the US Women’s Open in Houston, Texas.
The pair practised together yesterday and posted videos of each other’s shots on their respective Instagram accounts, with Garvey saying she was ‘‘learning from the best’’.
The North Canterbury amateur secured her place in the tournament in mid-November after organisers chose to invite the top 20 players on the world amateur golf rankings.
Garvey was 21st on the rankings and feared she had missed out but with several players ahead of her already invited,
she got the nod and said it was ‘‘unreal’’ she’d been able to sneak her way in to her first major.
The last time Ko had a Kiwi companion at a major was in 2016, when Liv Cheng qualified for the US Women’s Open, and speaking on the Out of the Screws podcast, she said it was nice to have a compatriot on course.
‘‘I didn’t know until she messaged me and said she had just got into the Open, which will be such an incredible experience,’’ Ko said.
‘‘I’m sure she’s going to have a great time and have lots of fun and do well – it’s always nice to see another New Zealand flag out there and one more person for people back home to support.’’
Garvey also appeared on the Out of the Screws podcast this week, speaking shortly after she’d had the ‘‘quite nerveracking’’ experience of Ko parking up beside her on the driving range at the Champions Golf Club.
‘‘It’s weird – she’s only 23, but she’s done this it seems like a hundred times now.’’
The event is being played across two courses – the Cypress Creek Course and the Jackrabbit Course – to account for the reduced hours of daylight.