Ko smiling ahead of Ohio title defence

Lydia Ko is feeling right at home as she targets the defence of her LPGA Marathon Classic title in Ohio.

Staying on a street named after her is only one reason for the smile on Lydia Ko's face in Ohio this week.

Ko says it is "pretty cool" her hotel is on Main Street, renamed Lydia Ko Drive this week by Toledo authorities to acknowledge she is defending champion of the LPGA Marathon Classic.

The New Zealand world No.2 is also pleased to be coming off a 12th placing at last week's US Women's Open, her best finish at the major after a relatively lean run of form.

It has boosted 18-year-old Ko's spirits after admitting in a previous interview that she had been suffering from homesickness and a lack of enjoyment on the professional circuit.

Returning to the Highland Meadows Golf Club, scene of her one-shot win a year ago, was also a source of contentment.

"To come back to a course where you've played well at always gives you a little bit of a relief and a little bit of confidence," she said.

"I've always had so much fun playing here."

Ko won the Women's Australian Open in February and the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in California in April - where she defended her title - but hasn't been at her best since.

She has no chance this week of reclaiming the world No.1 spot she ceded last month to Korean rival Inbee Park.

Recent rain in Toledo has made the course soft but Ko says the greens are still slick, making putting vital this week.


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Source: AAP


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