She was well below her best but world No.1 Lydia Ko still found herself within striking distance of the lead after Friday's first round of the New Zealand Women's Open in Christchurch.
Followed by an enormous gallery at Clearwater Golf Club, Ko shot a stuttering two-under-par 70 to be four shots behind French outright leader Anne-Lise Caudal.
Ko's driving lacked her usual precision and she missed a handful of gettable putts but still dropped a shot at only one hole, the par-4 15th. It was her sixth hole of the day after playing the back nine first.
An earlier birdie on the 12th and further shots picked up on the second and fifth holes ensured she was handily placed on a day when fluctuating wind made low scoring difficult.
Ko, 17, chose to contest the $NZ300,000 ($A290,000) tournament out of loyalty, spurning the chance to contest a far-richer LPGA event in Thailand.
She is coming off victory in the Women's Australian Open at Melbourne last week and is seeking her second New Zealand title, having finished runner-up last year.
World No.245 Caudal, who also started at the 10th hole, managed four birdies on both the front and back nine. Her only blemish was a double bogey on the par-4 18th hole.
Two more Europeans were in a three-way tie for second on five under. Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Norway's Marianne Skarpnord were level with American Samantha Troyanovich.
Ko was level as the leading Kiwi with amateur Munchin Keh.
The three-round tournament ends on Sunday.
Share
