LYDIA KO, ONLY 15, SHOOTS INCREDIBLE 10-UNDER 63 TO LEAD AUSSIE OPEN

 

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

Canberra: New Zealand teenage sensation Lydia Ko has continued her fine form with an incredible 10-under-par 63 in the opening round of the 2013 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open being played this week at Royal Canberra Golf Club.

The 15-year-old Ko, ranked Number 30 in the world pro ratings while still an amateur, leads by one from Colombian Mariajo Uribe at 9-under and former Open runner-up and World Number 7 Jiyai Shin at 8-under par.

Ko said her star playing partners added to the enjoyment in an excellent round.

“Yeah it was fun out there, I mean when you hit a good round it makes it better, but Yani and Michelle, we had a few good conversations so I think that made it more enjoyable,” Ko said.

“It (tomorrow) could go two ways, I could not have a great round tomorrow, or I could just follow up with a good round, so I mean it's quite hard to beat my round today, so hopefully I can stay consistent.”

Rolex World Number 1 Taiwanese Yani Tseng finished in a tie for seventh at 5-under par and said she enjoyed watching her playing partner light it up.

“It was fun to watch her play golf today. She still looks fifteen and I don't know how she hits the ball that well. I wasn't even that close to her (standard) when I was fifteen. It is very interesting to see her play, and I really enjoyed playing with her today too. 

"I think she pushed me up a little bit too. At the first she made birdie and, I don't want to lose, I want to make birdie too, trying to keep to her, but at 9 she was on fire and I dropped back. She was on fire,” Tseng said.

Katherine Hull-Kirk, Sarah-Jane Smith and Kristie Smith are the best of the Australians after 5-under par rounds of 68 in a tie for eighth.

Italian Giulia Sergas is the best of the Europeans at 6-under par in sixth place.

SCOTSWATCH. North Berwick's Catriona Matthew, in her first outing of the year, shot a 69, three ahead Hamilton's LET rookie Pamela Pretswell who came through a qualifying round earlier in the week to earn a place in the star-studded field.

The only other Scot in the field, Carly Booth, matched the par of 73.

FIRST-ROUND SCORES

Par 73 

 

63 Lydia Ko (NZL)

64 Mariajo Uribe (COL)

65 Jiyai Shin (SKOR)

66 Rebecca Lee-Bentham (CAN) , Ayako Uehara (JPN) , Mi Hyang Lee (SKOR)

67 Giulia Sergas (ITA)

68 Sarah-Jane Smith (AUS) , Maude-Aimee Leblanc (CAN) , Katherine Hull-Kirk (AUS) , Angela Stanford (USA) , Yani Tseng (TPE) , Beatriz Recari (ESP) , Kristie Smith (AUS)

69 Vicky Hurst (USA) , Lizette Salas (USA) , Stacy Lewis (USA) , Becky Brewerton (WAL) , Austin Ernst (USA) , Catriona Matthew (SCO) , Pernilla Lindberg (SWE) , Katelyn Must (AUS)

70 Jane Park (USA) , Dori Carter (USA) , Jessica Korda (USA) , Min Jee Lee (AUS) , Dewi Claire Schreefel (NLD) , Eun Hee Ji (SKOR) , Stacy Prammanasudh (USA) , Holly Aitchison (ENG) , Beth Allen (USA) , Moriya Jutanugarn (THA) , Courtney Massey (AUS) , Meaghan Francella (USA)

71 Jenny Shin (SKOR) , Cindy Lacrosse (USA) , Mi Jung Hur (SKOR) , Laura Davies (ENG) , Danielle Kang (USA) , Nikki Campbell (AUS) , Laura Diaz (USA) , Belen Mozo (SPA) , Brittany Lincicome (USA) , Alison Walshe (USA) , Pornanong Phatlum (THA) , Nikki Garrett (AUS) , Jennifer Song (USA) , Florentyna Parker (ENG) , Thidapa Suwannapura (THA) , Kathlyn Ekey (USA) , Carlota Ciganda (SPA), Rachel Bailey (AUS), Julieta Granada (PAR) , Karrie Webb (AUS) , Cheyenne Woods (USA) , Veronica Felibert (VEN)

72 Mo Martin (USA) , Hannah Burke (ENG) , Caroline Hedwall (SWE) , Nicole Jeray (USA) , Lauren Doughtie (USA) , Sarah Kemp (AUS) , Maria Hernandez (SPA) , Pamela Pretswell (SCO) , Christina Kim (USA) , Anna Nordqvist (SWE) , Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) , Becky Morgan (WAL) , Karin Sjodin (SWE) , Gerina Piller (USA) , Azahara Munoz (SPA), Nicole Smith (USA), Christel Boeljon (NLD) , Rebecca Artis (AUS), Lisa McCloskey (COL), Jing Yan (CHN) , Jane Rah (USA) , Caroline Masson (GER) , Karine Icher (FRA) , Lexi Thompson (USA) , Jessica Speechley (AUS) , Amy Hung (TPE) , So Yeon Ryu (SKOR) , Taylore Karle (USA)

73 Il Hee Lee (SKOR) , Tania Elosegui (SPA) , Tamie Durdin (AUS) , Mina Harigae (USA) , Bree Arthur (AUS) , Carly Booth (SCO) , Brooke Pancake (USA) , Jin Young Pak (SKOR) , Line Vedel (DNK) , Karen Stupples (ENG) , Jennifer Johnson (USA) , Ashlee Dewhurst (AUS) , Kris Tamulis (USA) , Brittany Lang (USA) , Maria Hjorth (SWE)

74 Moira Dunn (USA) , Lee-Anne Pace (SAF) , Kayla Mortellaro (USA) , Sara Maude Juneau (CAN) , Sydnee Michaels (USA) , Jennifer Rosales (PHL) , Dawn Shockley (USA) , Katie Futcher (USA) , Lorie Kane (CAN) , Stacey Keating (AUS) , Whitney Hillier (AUS) , Michelle Wie (USA) , Paige Mackenzie (USA) , Stephanie Sherlock (CAN) , Jennie Lee (USA) , Gwladys Nocera (FRA) , Mianne Bagger (DNK) , Paolo Moreno (COL) , Chella Choi (SKOR)

75 Felicity Johnson (ENG) , Joanna Klatten (FRA) , Charlotte Ellis (ENG) , Jacqui Concolino (USA) , Danielle Montgomery (ENG) , Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) , Su-Hyun Oh (AUS) , Jade Schaeffer (FRA) , Jee Young Lee (SKOR) , Daniela Iacobelli (USA) , Wendy Ward (USA) , Victoria Elizabeth (USA) , Jennifer Gleason (USA) , Cathryn Bristow (NZL)

76 Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) , Vicky Thomas (AUS) , Lydia Hall (WAL) , Numa Gulyanamitta (THA) , Haeji Kang (SKOR) , Kim Welch (USA) , Sophie Gustafson (SWE) , Tamara Johns (AUS) , Stephanie Na (AUS) , Lynnette Brooky (NZL) , Frances Bondad (AUS) , Karen Lunn (AUS)

77 Nontaya Srisawang (THA) , Esther Choe (USA) , Julia Boland (AUS) , Sarah Oh (AUS) , Ryann O Toole (USA) , Jody Fleming (AUS) , Mindy Kim (KOR) , Sarah King (AUS)

78 Heather Bowie Young (USA)

80 Emma De Groot (AUS)

81 Amanda Blumenherst (USA) , Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)

85 Karlin Beck (USA)