New Zealand golfer Dame Lydia Ko. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
A horrible start has ruined Dame Lydia Ko's opening round at the latest LPGA Tour event in Florida.
The world number two was six over par after her first seven holes at the Founders Cup tournament.
Ko parred her first hole, but then had two double bogeys and two bogeys over her next six holes.
She was sitting near the foot of the field, but managed to claw her way up the leaderboard with three birdies to finished with a three over par 74 which has her tied for 97th.
Ko was nine shots behind the leaders, Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark and Jennifer Kupcho of the USA.
Ko had similar problems in her first tournament of the year in Florida last week.
She was 28th after the opening round of the Tournament of Champions, but finished sixth overall.
Fellow New Zealander Fiona Xu is tied for 35th, five shots from the leaders.
Steven Alker of New Zealand talks with media 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Steven Alker is tied for the lead after the opening round of the latest Champions Tour event in Morocco.
Alker shot a four under par 69 to share a one shot lead with Englishman Simon Griffiths at the Trophy Hassan II tournament in Rabat.
Ben Campbell and Danny Lee are tied for 15th, six shots from the leader after the opening round of the first LIV Golf tournament of the year in Saudi Arabia.
Notable in the start of the new LIV season was the fact that players are no longer allowed to wear shorts.
Ryan Fox is along way off the pace at the Phoenix Open and is in a tie for 81st after the opening round of the PGA Tour event.
Fox carded a one over par round of 72.
On the World Tour, Daniel Hillier is tied for 43rd, five shots from the lead, and Kazuma Kobori is tied for 76th, another two shots back, after the opening round of the Qatar Masters.
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