It's often easy to forget Lydia Ko is just 15 years old after she once again demonstrated why she has the potential to be one of the world's top women golfers in her opening round of the British Open at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club overnight.
The world's No 1
amateur shot an even par 72 to be in a share of 12th, two shots behind South Korean leaders Haeji Kang and So Yeon Ryu.
There had been considerable attention on Ko in the leadup to her second major after she won the Canadian Open, and she once again handled the big occasion well and outscored many of the best golfers in the world.
Ko carded five birdies and five bogeys in the difficult and blustery conditions and, while she didn't match her goal of two under, she's well poised in the tournament. She is the leading amateur and in contention for her first major championship win.
"One of my other goals was to not go in any of the fairway bunkers and I went in one fairway bunker which cost me a shot," she said. "I shot even so not too bad. The leading score is only two under anyway so that shows that it is very tough out there.
