Ko goes low in Malaysia

LPGA Tour

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko has a one shot lead after the opening round of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia on Thursday. 

The former world number one picked her way around TPC Kuala Lumpur to post a flawless seven under 64, enough for a one stroke lead over Australia’s Su Oh who is alone in second.

Ko’s bogey-free round was her best opening round of the 2017 season and it’s largely due to her skills on the green, as she rolled in three birdies on three par three’s.

"It's always nice to make birdies on par 3's," confirmed the 20-year-old after the round.

"Birdies on any holes, you take it. I feel like 17 is kind of a lucky one. It was a really solid day for me, so I'll take my 64.

"I was making putts today. If you're not striking the ball very well, but you're able to make putts when you get birdie opportunities or to make those crucial par putts, those are going to be the three-or four-shot swings. To me, it's really about confidence and momentum, where if I see some going in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, Oh opened with a disastrous double bogey but battled with three consecutive birdies, then made another five coming home to sign for a 65.

Further down the leaderboard, defending champion Shanshan Feng is tied for third on five under with last week’s winner Eun-Hee Ji and Swede Madelene Sagstrom.

LPGA Tour Lydia Ko

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