Lydia Ko was in tears Sunday winning the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open for the third time on a remarkable day that began with a 5.7 magnitude earthquake rattling Christchurch just 10 minutes before she was scheduled to tee off.
Ko, 18, the Rolex world No. 1, prevailed playing through what the Ladies European Tour reported were 52 aftershocks. Though the quake was described as “severe” by New Zealand seismology officials, no injuries or serious structural damage was reported in the immediate aftermath.
After winning, Ko got emotional thinking about the support New Zealand and its golf program has given her.