Although the world's third-ranked female golfer missed her own graduation ceremony as a Year 13 student at Pinehurst School in Albany, while bagging $1.9 million by winning the LPGA Tour Championship in Florida, she was back there on Thursday afternoon for an annual prize-giving for its primary-aged pupils.
"She had just flown in and came to our school," said Pinehurst communications and marketing manager Vicki Wilson, whose 6-year-old daughter Aimee was among the starstruck.
Ms Wilson said Ko, who retweeted a message of support sent to her by the school during last week's final of the LPGA championship, advised the children to "stay calm and focused" in whatever they chose to do in life.
Ko has spent much of her time back in Auckland donating her services to junior and amateur golf, but is looking forward to relaxing with friends today before flying with her father, Gilhong Ko, tomorrow to Korea to join her mother, Tina Hyon, for Christmas.
Then it will be back to the United States to train for another season on the professional golf circuit.
Among grown-up golfers trying to stay focused at a charity event yesterday afternoon was Takapuna Grammar School teacher Hayden Viles, who assumed Ko was simply being polite about his drive.
"Perhaps you can teach me something," she suggested after he teed off at the "Second Lydia and Hi Well Charity Day" at Takapuna Golf Course.
But when his four-member team reached the green at the first hole, he discovered he had overshot it by whacking the ball about 290m off the tee.
"I've never done that before, hit the ball that far," said Mr Viles, a physical education teacher whose school works with the Hi Well Charitable Foundation to support young and disabled people.
"I was a bit nervous with Lydia watching."
Luckily for him, Ko was back at the tee with other golfing amateurs who had paid $150 each or $500 for a team of four to take part in the 18-hole event, at which she also featured last year.
For if she had followed him down the fairway, she would have seen him take another three shots to sink his ball to reach par for the hole, as teammate and fellow Takapuna Grammar teacher Dan McQuillan gleefully revealed.
Another occasional golfer out to impress the star was Korean consul-general Yil-ho Park who called Ko "our teen queen" after swiping a shot down the centre of the freeway.
Ko, who looked her usual relaxed self despite sneaking a yawn or two and was handed a lollipop by her father while signing autographs for young admirers, said she had seen "some really good swings" at the event.
Although sad to have left Pinehurst School, which she attended for six years, she was looking forward to studying psychology at university in Korea between golf tournaments.
