CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – Fourteen-year-old amateur Lydia Ko shot her second straight 3-under 69 on Saturday for a share of second-round lead in the Women's New Zealand Open.
Ko, the world's top-ranked amateur, became the youngest winner of a professional tour event last month in the Women's New South Wales Open in Australia. She briefly held the outright lead before a bogey on the par-17th dropped her into a six-way tie at 6 under at Pegasus Golf Club.
"I was like 12th or something overnight, so it's good to be up with the leaders," the South Korean-born New Zealander said. "I'll try hard tomorrow and, hopefully, play good like I did at New South Wales."
Ko was tied with Colombia's Mariajo Uribe (68), Australia's Lindsey Wright (68), South Korea's Haeji Kang (69), American Alison Walshe (70) and Spain's Carlotta Ciganda (69).
Canadian star Lorie Kane (67) was a stroke back along with Americans Cindy Lacrosse (67) and Gerina Piller (71) and Australians Julia Boland (68) and Stephanie Na (69).
Ko, two strokes out of the lead entering the round, birdied her opening hole. She bogeyed the par-4 third, then birdied the fourth and fifth holes. She overcame gusty conditions to birdie the par-3 11th and moved into the outright lead with a birdie at the 13th.
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