By David Di Somma
Raising golf star Lydia Ko has had her first hit around the Pegasus golf course ahead of the New Zealand Open in Christchurch on Friday.
The history-making 14-year-old is rated by the TAB as the favourite to win the event, although she has her own theories about winning.
After finishing seventh and fourth in her last two New Zealand Opens, Ko says mathematically this week is looking good.
“Seven to four is minus three, and four minus is number one. If I win it, oh my god!”
The likeable teenager is already the world's best amateur and her triumph at last month's New South Wales Open made her the youngest player ever to win a professional tournament.
She is ranked 166th in the world, though she will not turn pro and cash the cheques for another three to four years.
“At the New South Wales, which is not that bad, I had a cheque for $18,000 I couldn’t take. I got $1000 for being the leading amateur.”
As her coach Guy Wilson can attest to, life has been hectic right now for the Korean-born Kiwi.
“At the moment she's just golf. Golf, golf, golf,” he says.
Ko says she has not been to school all year.
“That's a shame because I love school and it's basically the only place I get to meet my friends.”
One of the few errors in Ko's game is that she is not a big hitter, yet.
“She flies the ball 210 metres,” says Wilson. “Depending on downhill or if it's downwind, it can do 50 or 10 metres.”
But accuracy is her trademark.
“Distance and power is what I want to work on, hopefully I’ll get taller and hopefully stronger at the same time,” says Ko.
Against a quality field that includes defending champion Kirstie Smith, Ko is hoping all the numbers will add up this weekend.
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