Golf: Lydia Ko wins Australian Open

Lydia Ko of New Zealand celebrates victory and holds the Patricia Bridges Bowl trophy at the presentation during day four of the LPGA Australian Open. Photo / Getty Images

Lydia Ko will start this week's New Zealand Women's Open in top form.

The 17-year-old golfing maestro won the Women's Australian Open in Melbourne yesterday - her sixth LPGA Tour victory - and will likely be a near unbackable favourite at Clearwater in Christchurch.

Ko finished second in last year's New Zealand event, where she started as a $3 frontrunner with the bookies, and claimed the title in 2013 as an amateur.

Given many of the world's top players will be at an LPGA Tour event in Thailand this week, the New Zealand tournament, which is co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour, shapes as Ko's to win.

The New Zealand Women's Open features some of the top players on the LET including England's Charley Hull and France's Gwladys Nocera, which makes for a competitive field. Former winners Laura Davies (England) and Kristie Smith (Australia) will also play at the $330,000 event.

But it is Ko, the world No 1, who everyone will be chasing and she built up for her Clearwater homecoming in impressive fashion yesterday.

The Women's Australian Open win was her first tournament victory since moving atop the world rankings.

Despite the hot and steamy conditions on Melbourne's sand-belt, a cool and calm Ko finished at nine-under overall to claim the tournament from Gold Coast-raised South Korean Amy Yang.

The pair duelled for the lead through the final round, with Yang carding a one-under 72 to finish at seven-under. Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn was third at four-under after a final round 76.

The best Australian finisher was another teenager, Minjee Lee, who was in a tie for seventh at one under for the tournament after closing with a 72.

Ko and Yang duelled throughout the final round, with an 90-minute suspension of play for lightning helping Ko's cause.

While Ko had just dropped a shot on the eighth, Yang, had birdied nine and was ready to putt for an eagle on 10 when the siren sounded.

Yang settled for a birdie after her ball circled the hole but failed to drop.

It gave her the lead but it didn't last long with Ko adding two birdies on the back nine.

"It's hard to make birdies but so easy to have bogeys or worse," Ko said.

Yang also had two birdies but bogeys on 15 and 17 snuffed out her challenge.
"I think that break was really good for me," Ko said.

"I had some lunch and got my stuff together there and I played much better after that."

Ko's record also includes being the youngest golfer to win a professional event, taking out the women's NSW Open when she was 14. She said she loved playing in Australia and approached each tournament here with the mindset she could win.

"I've always played well in Australia, so it's always cool coming back here," she said.