Golf: Ko falters but still in hunt

After matching Jang with a three-under 69 in the opening round, Ko had six birdies in her first 11 holes to stay level with her opponent. Photo / AP

A late stumble saw Lydia Ko slip from the top of the LPGA Tour Championship leaderboard but the Kiwi remains on course for a swag of prizes.

Ko took duel objectives into the season-ending event in Florida - adding another title to her considerable collection and, with victory, finishing the year as the most dominant woman in golf.

And although a couple of bogeys cost her top spot heading into the weekend, Ko is well on track towards completing both goals. The 18-year-old was second on eight-under after the second round, trailing leader Ha Na Jang by two shots and, equally importantly, sitting four strokes ahead of Inbee Park.

Ko and Park are battling for a host of awards at the last tournament of the season, in addition to locking down the top spot in the world for 2015. The pair are also chasing the LPGA's scoring title, the Player of the Year award and a US$1 million ($1.5m) bonus for winning the Race to CME Globe.

So while Ko would be forgiven for looking over her shoulder at Park, who sits tied for 13th, the Kiwi was attempting to avoid contemplating all the spoils on offer.

"I've just got to think of it as another tournament," she told reporters in Florida. "We've got the world's best golfers here, the top players are here. It's a great field, so it feels like a major. And with everything that might come along on Sunday [Monday NZT], it might be more than that."

After matching Jang with a three-under 69 in the opening round, Ko had six birdies in her first 11 holes to stay level with her red-hot opponent.

The world No 1 stumbled with a double-bogey at the par-four 15th and a bogey on the par-thee 16th, but Ko recovered well to birdie the final two holes and remain within two shots of the leader.

Park, meanwhile, made some progress after opening the tournament with a one-under 71, shooting a 69 for her best score at Tiburon since 2013. But the South Korean was well aware of the task awaiting her if she wished to overhaul Ko and claim the top prizes.

"I know that [Ko] played well yesterday as well," Park said. "She seems like she really likes this golf course. I've got to start liking it a little bit more for tomorrow."