Lydia Ko
World No 1 amateur Lydia Ko has confirmed she will once
again be gracing the fairways of the The Hills at next year's
NZ PGA Championship in Queenstown.
On the back of another record-breaking year, Ko will be one
of the main drawcards in the invitational amateur field for
the event.
Since competing at this year's NZ PGA Championship, Ko has
had a stellar year in which she became the youngest ever
winner of an LPGA, was the top amateur at the British Open
and won the US Amateur Championship.
NZ PGA Championship organising committee chairman John Hart
said he was thrilled to confirm Ko will be back at the
tournament.
"Lydia's golf has taken another huge step forward and we are
absolutely delighted to have her back," he said. "She's
deservedly at the top of the invite list for major
tournaments all around the world, so to have her play at the
NZ PGA Championship again is very exciting.
"Lydia was a major drawcard for fans last year, with some of
the largest spectator galleries following her group, and we
hope that even more people will take the opportunity to come
out to watch her in person and to see what makes her such a
special player."
Even with a full calendar ahead and busy year behind her, it
was an easy decision for Ko to come back to Queenstown.
"Last year was an absolute blast and I had so much fun," she
said. "It's not often that you get to play alongside a
Hollywood star, give golf tips to the Prime Minister and take
on the top male pros, so I was very keen to come and play in
the tournament again.
"Last year was my first trip to Queenstown and I loved it.
The tournament was fantastic, it's set in a beautiful place
and had a great atmosphere. I'm really looking forward to
coming back."
Organisers also confirmed former English cricketer Sir Ian
Botham will take his place alongside Ko in the amateur field.
The full field of 68 amateurs will be teamed with
professionals as part of a two-ball, best-ball competition
over the final two days of the tournament.
A strong professional field is already building with 2012
champion Michael Hendry and runner-up Mark Brown confirmed.
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