Lydia Ko plays a fairway shot during day two of the New Zealand Women's Open at Clearwater Golf Course in Christchurch. Photo / Getty Images
Lydia Ko plays a fairway shot during day two of the New Zealand Women's Open at Clearwater Golf Course in Christchurch. Photo / Getty Images
It's rare for Lydia Ko's mind to wander on the golf course.
But as she edged towards the course record at Clearwater yesterday, she wondered if she might even break the magical 60 mark and become the second woman after Annika Sorenstam to achieve that mark.
Eventually Ko signed for 61 to break the old course record by two shots as she emphasised her rare ability and why she has climbed to be the premier golfer on the women's circuit.
Playing partners Charley Hull with 64 and Su Oh with 66 produced exceptional rounds yet watched Ko extend her lead to three ahead of Hull after the second round of the New Zealand Open.
Ko had a target of five under for yesterday's round when she arrived for her early-morning start "but I doubled it plus one", she giggled.
The greens were quicker than opening day and, after a sloppy opening-hole bogey, Ko bounced back with an eagle and then added 11 birdies in her astonishing round.
She shot 30 with five birdies and an eagle on the front side then followed with five more birdies coming home to sign for her course record.
It was a remarkable return on a day which did not start well for Ko. She had a restless sleep and did not like the way she was hitting the ball on the practice range so adjourned to the putting range.
Aussie Su Oh shot a round of 66 at the NZ Open yesterday. Photo / Getty
The bogey annoyed her when she pushed her drive then failed to get up and down from the edge of the green. Not again, she told herself.
An eagle on the next hole, when she flushed a five wood inside 3m ignited her extraordinary round where she hit it much closer to the pin than she did on the first day.
That work ended with 26 putts for the world No 1. Ko attributed her putting reversal to her sharper iron play.
"I hit it much closer and was in range for more birdies and had the speed much better," she said. "When you are getting the speed right, I could just concentrate on my line."
Hull began the birdie barrage before Ko joined and cleared out from her playing partners in conditions which were as benign as they get at Clearwater. That onslaught provoked ideas of a magical score from Ko.
"When I was going past 13, I did not really know what I was shooting but went past the leaderboard and I counted it back and thought, 'oh, who knows magical number (59) if I keep hitting good shots," she said. "But 61, I am pretty pleased with."
It's the lowest round in Ko's teenage career to beat the 10-under she shot at the Australian Open at Canberra. She expects final-round conditions to be tougher today with huge crowds predicted to back her tilt at a second national crown.
The 'Go Ko' T-shirts were on show in the crowd and the teenager, who admits to having one, loved that support. The measured Ko let loose one fist pump as a putt neared the hole and then admonished herself when it looked like the attempt was not going to drop.
Her left thumb is still heavily strapped to protect some pain down the bottom of the joint but Ko says it's not distracting her during her work.
She planned to have lunch yesterday, do some practice putting then go home to rest while the afternoon field battled rising temperatures.
