Golf: Ko among leading NZers

North Harbour's Lydia Ko, fellow amateur Zoe Brake (Whakatane) and Wellington professional Sarah Nicholson are the leading local golfers in the New Zealand Women's Open at Pegasus Town, near Christchurch today.

The trio stand at one under 71, six shots behind leader Marianne Skarpnord, after the first round.

Ko, 12, was poised to be the leading New Zealander with two holes to play when she was two under, but a double bogey five at the eighth (her 17th) dropped her back to par before she sank a down hill 15 footer for a birdie on the par 5 final hole.

"At the start of my round, the putts were not going in, a few went sideways and the wind was a bit of a challenge. I had trouble at 17 where I was plugged in the greenside bunker, came out too strong and then topped my chip," Ko said.

She has just recently got New Zealand citizenship and the dual North Island amateur champion will make her debut in the Trans Tasman Cup International against Australia at Royal Wellington Golf Club in late March.

Brake, a recent winner of the South Island amateur championship and New Zealand strokeplay champion, was two down early but two birdies, another bogey and an eagle at the par 5 ninth had her out in 35. She had two birdies and two bogeys on the back nine.

Nicholson was the only member of the trio to play in the more testing morning conditions, when the buffeting nor'wester made for difficult scoring. This was replaced by a nor'easter in the afternoon.

Nicholson mixed six birdies with five bogeys and after dropping a shot at the second, birdied the third, fifth and seventh holes to turn in three-under 33, but she battled on some of the harder holes early on the back nine which she played as the wind changed briefly.

After bogeys at 10, 12 and 14, she rallied strongly with birdies at 15 and 17 before missing a birdie putt from 1.5m at the last.

Nicholson said she played below her best but was happy to sign for a sub-par round.

"I started really well on the front nine which is a little bit wider and easier to get around and was three-under through the turn. But I knew it would be a bit of a struggle on the back nine especially as the wind changed a little and I had a few soft bogeys.

"I managed some good par putts and the greens were getting pretty fast and you had to be below the hole -- I had a few birdie putts above the hole, tapped them and they rolled past.

"My goal in the next three weeks is three top 10s or better (the ANZ Ladies Masters and Australian Women's Open follow) and I'm pretty comfortable where I'm sitting after today's round," Nicholson said.