Top-ranked Lydia Ko will defend her New Zealand Women's Open title in Christchurch in February, New Zealand Golf confirmed on Wednesday.
Chief executive Dean Murphy said he was delighted Ko would be back to contest the 54-hole championship at Clearwater Golf Club beginning on February 11.
"The reality is, this is a very difficult tournament for Lydia to fit into her schedule and the fact she will compete is a measure of how much she values playing at home," Murphy said.
"I'm sure the golfing fans of New Zealand will look forward to seeing her play as world No.1 in our own backyard."
In March, Ko won her second New Zealand Women's Open title in three years with a four-shot victory at Clearwater.
She won her first NZ Open crown as an amateur in February 2013, but was beaten by South Korea's Mi Hyang Lee in 2014 by one shot.
Ko said she was looking forward to returning home to New Zealand and chasing another title.
"I'm excited to go back to Clearwater where I have made so many great memories," she said.
"The New Zealand golfing public have always been such great supporters of me, and it will be exciting to play in front of my home fans."
A full field of 144 players will contest the Open, which is co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf.
Ko has had another stellar year, winning five times on the LPGA Tour and racking up 17 top-10 finishes.
The 18-year-old became the youngest player to win a major championship in September when she took out the Evian Championship.
She was also recently crowned LPGA player of the year, and won the LPGA's season-long points race, earning a $US1 million ($A1.39 million) in the process.
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