Golf: Lydia Ko grabs NZ Open crown but will she be back?

Lydia Ko waltzed away with the NZ Open title. Photo / Getty Images

Huge crowds turn out to support Kiwi ace as she wraps up NZ Open by four shots.

The five-hour trip had a few glitches for Lydia Ko before her journey past huge galleries to an 18th hole coronation at the NZ Open.

The world women's golf No1 survived a few mid-round tremors to steady and add a second national crown (by four shots) to her success last week at the Australian Open.

"I ended up winning and that was my goal at the start of the day," Ko said at the Clearwater event near Christchurch. "I wanted to win in front of such great crowds and I knew they were supporting us. This is probably the biggest crowd I have seen."

Playing partner Giulia Sergas had mentioned that huge 6417 final-round crowd support to 17-year-old Ko, who replied, "It's home."

She did not know if she would return to defend her title again next year, that would depend on her tournament schedules. When she played and finished second last year, she arrived from the Bahamas, was tired throughout and not ready to play the following event.

Arriving from Australia this time was easier and the trip up to Singapore for her next tournament was manageable.

Ko left Christchurch last night and has three events before the first major of the season.

After the riches of her course-record 61 on Saturday, Ko began her final round with a five-shot lead and stretched that with birdies on her opening two holes. Most of the final-day crowd assumed that hot start would translate into a stroll to victory.

There were some tremors when Ko hit several wayward tee shots but the brilliance of her recoveries to save par steadied most watching in the warm Canterbury conditions. Normality looked to have returned when Ko birdied the sixth to be three-under for her round.

Then some gremlins appeared. She pushed her second into the water on the eighth then overshot the ninth green and failed to get up and down. Three shots gone and while playing partner Charley Hull also had a bogey she was only just adrift as they headed for the back nine.

When Hull converted a rare putt for an eagle on the 10th, the squeeze became tighter but Ko's birdie response got her back in sync. She added another at the 12th when Hull airmailed the green and the margin was back to five.

"Even at that time I just focused on my game," Ko said. "For me, three shots went in two holes and you never know in the wind, just one loose shot can end up penalising you for a couple of shots so I just tried to keep focused.

"All I could do is hit good shots and concentrate on my game and if the other player plays better than me then I can't do much about it. That's what I try to think about."

Serenity under fire has been a hallmark of Ko's game since she stepped into the national limelight and then the international circuits.

She rose to world No1 with a second-place tie in Florida in late January, followed by a tie for seventh in the Bahamas and wins in the Australian Open and NZ Open in successive weeks.

That success would be remarkable for any seasoned golfer. Ko's ability to shut out the world around her and deliver in her arena is taking on an uncommon hue.