Golf: Ko slips back in California

World No 1 amateur Lydia Ko is currently seven shots off the lead at the Kraft Nabisco Championship on the LPGA Tour in California. Photo / Getty Images.

Lydia Ko's dreams of becoming the youngest ever major winner have faded after a disappointing second round at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in California saw her slip back to 42nd place.

The 15-year-old fired an even par 72 to sit in a share of 25th after the first round, but she shot two-over at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage today to fall almost 20 places.

Ko will begin the third round nine shots back from the South Korean leader Inbee Park but she still has plenty to play for as she aims to finish as the top amateur at the event, the first major championship of the 2013 season.

That position is currently occupied by Camilla Hedberg but Ko, the world's No 1-ranked amateur, needs to pick up only two shots to haul in the Spaniard.

Ko finished as the lowest amteur in the two majors in which she competed last year, while she has also made the cut in all 15 professional events she has entered.

Those 15 tournaments have brought three titles and two runner-up places but Ko, whose performances have seen her rise to No 25 on the golf world rankings, is unlikely to add to those tallies this week.

Ko never really got going in the second round as she watched playing partner and idol Michelle Wie shoot a two under par 70 to climb to a share of 12th.

Ko played the front nine in even par after a bogey on the sixth and a birdie on the seventh but she came home in two over par, making bogey on 16 and 18, to sign for a 74 and lose touch with the leaders. Putting was something of a problem for the Kiwi today, needing 30 strokes on the greens across the 18 holes.