Dame Lydia Ko at the LPGA Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida. Photo: AFP
Dame Lydia Ko has raced back into contention at the halfway mark of the LPGA Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida.
The New Zealand golfer yesterday finished her opening round eight shots off the lead after a one-over-par 73, which left her 28th equal on the leaderboard in her first start for the year.
But Ko has gained 21 places to sit at seventh on the leaderboard after firing 67 in the second round, six shots back from leader A Lim Kim of South Korea.
Kim maintained her lead after firing a second-round 69 to be 10 under for the tournament. Linn Grant of Sweden is three shots off the pace, in second.
Friday marked 10 years since 17-year-old Ko became the youngest golfer in men's or women's golf history to be ranked No. 1 in the world.
As an amateur, she was the top-ranked woman amateur golfer in the world for 130 weeks and never missed a cut in 25 professional tournaments.
Ko is currently ranked number two in the world off the back of a stunning 2024, which included a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, earning her a place in golf's Hall of Fame and the British Open title.
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