Golf: Lydia Ko in the mix after Australian Open first round

Lydia Ko. Photo / AAP

Former world No.1 Lydia Ko knows she's getting bagged for swinging changes almost as much as her golf clubs.

The New Zealander carded a four-under par 68 in Thursday's opening round of the Australian Open in Adelaide, three shots behind South Korea's pacesetter Jin Young Ko.

Another South Korean, Jiyai Shin, is outright second at five-under.

The Kiwi Ko was among 10 golfers to shoot 68, in her first competitive round with another coach and another caddie, having again swapped her entourage this year.

The 20-year-old has had 11 caddies since turning pro five years ago.

And she's on her third coach after hiring and firing one within a year.

But Ko says critics of her changes miss the point.

"I'm trying to make the decisions where I think it's the best for me in my career," Ko said after her first round at the Kooyonga course.

"Sometimes, I think 'hey, maybe I shouldn't have done that'. But I feel like I made the right decisions.

"All I can do ... is do what I think is best for me and, sometimes, not everybody is going to agree."

Ko last year lost her world No.1 ranking amid her first winless LPGA season since 2012.

Her meagre year came after switching coaches from the renowned David Leadbetter, with whom she worked from 2013 to the end of 2016.

In came Gary Gilchrist, who lasted just the year. Now, Ko is working under Ted Oh.

"Hopefully, this one does go a long way," she said.

The early signs at Kooyonga are promising. Ko birdied four of her initial 10 holes.

Ko is the only New Zealander under par, with Cathryn Bristow (+2), Liv Cheng (+4), Hanee Song (+7) and Jenna Hunter (+9) all off the pace.

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