Golf: Ko shoots birdie blitz in final round 63

Lydia missed the cut for the first time in 67 professional tournaments at the Women's PGA Championship. Photo / AP

Kiwi golfer Lydia Ko shot eight birdies in her final round 63 to go from 40th to tied for sixth in the Arkansas Championship.

South Korean Na Yeon Choi had a two shot win over American favourite and defending champion Stacy Lewis.

The performance broke a somewhat lean patch for Ko, who has missed the top 15 at her last four tournaments to relinquish the world No1 ranking.

Since her win at the Swinging Skirts, she has been 41st at the North Texas Shootout, 16th at the Kingsmill Championship, 27th at the Manulife LPGA Classic and missed the cut for the first time in 67 professional tournaments at the Women's PGA Championship.

Kiwi Grant Waite finished in a share of third place at the US Senior Open in California on the Champions Tour.

Waite, a former PGA Tour winner, joined the Champions Tour through qualifying school after turning 50 in August last year and has enjoyed a consistent but unspectacular campaign this season.

Yesterday's effort was his best result of the year - he entered the tournament in 75th on the money list - and his final round of 67 pushed him to seven-under for the week; he shared third place with Germany's Bernhard Langer.

The pair were three strokes back from champion Jeff Maggert (10-under), while Scotland's Colin Montgomerie claimed second at eight-under. The US Senior Open is one of five majors on the Champions Tour.

Meanwhile, on the second-tier Challenge Tour in Europe, Auckland's Ryan Fox finished in a share of 10th at the Scottish Hydro Challenge.

Fox, who earned $8199 for his efforts, carded a three-under 68 to end the week at nine-under, seven strokes back from England's Jack Senior who won at 16-under.

It was another strong effort from Fox after he finished in a tie for fifth at the Najeti Open in France last week in his first event on the tour this season.

On the Japan Tour, Auckland professional Michael Hendry finished in a share of 48th at the ISPS Handa Global Cup. Hendry ended the week at four-under, 10 strokes back from eventual winner Toshinori Muto who beat Angelo Que in a playoff.

Hendry, from the North Shore, who won the tour's first event of the season in April, is firmly placed inside the top 10 on the money list.