New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko sits just outside the top-10 after the opening day of the Women's Open.
Ko carded a one-under 71 in tough conditions in the first round at the 'Home of Golf', St Andrew's, on Thursday (Friday NZ Time) to be tied for 12th in the fifth and final women's golf major of 2024.
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The Paris Olympics gold medallist was one of 17 players to go under-par and is just four strokes behind the leader, Englishwomen Charley Hull.
Ko paired three birdies with two bogeys during a slow and blustery round at the Old Course. She made birdies at the fifth, 12th and 16th and bogeys at the eighth and 11th holes, both par-threes.
The 27-year-old, who has a best finish of T17 in the first four women's majors this year and T3 at the Women's Open in 2015, hit 12-of-16 fairways and 14-of-18 greens in regulation, but required 31 putts.
Ko will tee off in the second round from the 10th hole on Friday at 7.11am local time (8.11pm NZT).
Meanwhile, on the DP World Tour, Taranaki pro Sam Jones is in a share of second after the first round of the Danish Golf Championship.
Jones fired an eventful four-under 67 at the Lubker Golf Resort in Aarhus, Denmark on Thursday (Friday NZT), just two shots behind home golfer Rasmus Hojgaard and tied with two others.
The 28-year-old had just three pars on the front-nine as he made five birdies, including three in a four-hole stretch, and a bogey to go out in 32. An eagle at the par-five 10th briefly got him to six-under and the lead, before bogeys at the 11th and 14th coming in.
Jones will tee off his second round from the 10th hole on Friday at 2.10pm local time (12.10am Saturday NZT).