The world number one ranked amateur Lydia Ko is part of a glamour grouping that will tee off early this morning in the first round of the New Zealand Women's golf Open in Christchurch.
The 15-year-old New Zealander will be joined by world number 19 Angela Stanford and Europe's number one Carlota Ciganda of Spain in the opening round of the 54-hole tournament which is co-sanctioned between the Ladies European Tour and the Australian Ladies Professional Golf.
The fifth New Zealand Open, to be staged at Clearwater Golf Club, has attracted its strongest field with 14 players inside the world's top 100 led by Stanford along with three winners of majors in former world number 1 Laura Davies, Anna Nordqvist and Sofie Gustafson.
There are 144 players in the field including nine amateurs led by Ko, with a cut after two rounds for the leading 50 professionals and ties for the final round on Sunday.
