News of New Zealanders via Global Media

One Point Closer to Hall of Fame for Lydia Ko

One Point Closer to Hall of Fame for Lydia Ko

New Zealander Lydia Ko has started her new season in style with victory at Florida’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on the LPGA Tour, Mike Hall reports for the UK publication, Golf Monthly. Ko,…

Mixed Win in Florida for Lydia Ko

Mixed Win in Florida for Lydia Ko

New Zealander Lydia Ko and Australia’s Jason Day have won the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in Florida, the ABC News reports. Ko, 26, and Day, 36, posted their second-straight round of 6-under-par 66 to finish…

Bayleigh Teepa-Tarau Wins Out of the Blue

Bayleigh Teepa-Tarau Wins Out of the Blue

There are stellar debut performances, and then there is what Bayleigh Teepa-Tarau, 12, did in the golf tournament at New Zealand’s largest national youth sports competition, Sports Illustrated correspondent Patrick Andres writes. Teepa-Tarau, who is…

Ryan Fox Rallies to Win European Tour’s Top Event

Ryan Fox Rallies to Win European Tour’s Top Event

Aucklander Ryan Fox, 36, overcame a 3-shot deficit and a triple bogey early in the final round at Wentworth in Surrey with six birdies on the back nine – the last one from 6…

Tiger’s Caddie Steve Williams Looks Back on Tenure

Tiger’s Caddie Steve Williams Looks Back on Tenure

Working alongside Tiger Woods does not afford time to look up and smell the flowers. Woods won 13 of his 15 major titles with Steve Williams as caddie, a run the New Zealander quickly…

South Korean LPGA Win for Golfer Lydia Ko

South Korean LPGA Win for Golfer Lydia Ko

The Korean-born New Zealander Lydia Ko, 25, has captured her 18th career LPGA Tour title in Korea, rallying from a one-stroke deficit with some methodical golf down the stretch, The Korea Times reports. Ko, who…

Lydia Ko Wins Big Prizes in Florida

Lydia Ko Wins Big Prizes in Florida

New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko has secured the LPGA’s season-ending title, the tour’s Player of the Year award and a big winner’s cheque with a two-stroke win at the CME Group Tour Championship in…

Steven Alker Gets All His Ducks in a Row

Steven Alker Gets All His Ducks in a Row

Since a Monday qualifier in the middle of August in the state of Washington, Golf magazine reports on what has happened to Hamilton-born golfer Steven Alker – six top 10s in a row, when…

Golfer Lydia Ko Takes the Trophy in Dubai

Golfer Lydia Ko Takes the Trophy in Dubai

A bogey-free 65 in the final round earned a commanding five-shot victory for two-time major champion New Zealander Lydia Ko at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, earlier this month, Sky Sports reports. After equalling the…

Lydia Ko Sets Tournament Record to Win Lotte

Lydia Ko Sets Tournament Record to Win Lotte

No one came close to New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko at last week’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii on the course of the Kapolei Golf Club, the Associated Press reports. Ko torched Club and tournament…

Tricky Golf Moves With Tania Tare

Tricky Golf Moves With Tania Tare

Auckland-born Tania Tare is one of the world’s most recognisable trick-shot artists and has amassed over 300,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Golf Australia reports. In an interview with the sporting publication, Tare…

Golfer Lydia Ko Picks the Confidence Club

Golfer Lydia Ko Picks the Confidence Club

“It’s already my fifth year on the tour and I feel like I kind of set the bar very high for me at an early age,” New Zealand professional golfer

Michael Long Wins PGA with Dream Course Round

Michael Long Wins PGA with Dream Course Round

New Zealander Michael Long, 49, has recorded a dream victory at the recent TX Civil & Logistics Western Australia PGA Championship after equalling the course record at Kalgoorlie Golf Course. Starting the final day five…

Lydia Ko Breaks Victory Drought In Style

Lydia Ko Breaks Victory Drought In Style

“A two-year win drought marked by changes in coaches, caddies and clubs ended for Lydia Ko on Sunday as the former world number one closed out victory at the Mediheal…

Golfer Lydia Ko Envisions Her Pro Future

Golfer Lydia Ko Envisions Her Pro Future

Sometimes New Zealander Lydia Ko, 20, likes to imagine the future. More specifically, her professional future. The Auckland-raised golfer talks to ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg about her plans. Ko thinks about what kind of career…

Our Illustrious Hall of Famer Sir Bob Charles

Our Illustrious Hall of Famer Sir Bob Charles

Carterton-born “legendary left-hander” Sir Bob Charles, 82, had a “remarkable” golfing career, the Bangkok Post’s Brett Brasier writes in his regular ‘Golf Tips’ column for the newspaper. “My few words on the great golfers that…

NZ Named Asia-Pacific Top Golf Destination

NZ Named Asia-Pacific Top Golf Destination

New Zealand had been named top golf destination in the Asia Pacific region by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) for the second time. Held for the first time in 2000, the annual…

Golfer Frank Nobilo Takes a Shot

Golfer Frank Nobilo Takes a Shot

Former professional golfer, Auckland-born Frank Nobilo talks with Golf Digest about Twitter trolls, debates with fellow golfer, American Brandel Chamblee and terror in a racecar at 290km/h. “I go through these little Twitter boycotts,” Nobilo,…

Phillis Meti Sets World Record for Longest Drive

Phillis Meti Sets World Record for Longest Drive

Long-drive competitor and defending world champion New Zealander Phillis Meti, 30, has broken the world record for women’s long drives in Denver with a figure of 371m. It did appear Meti’s ball made contact with…

Top Hitter Phillis Meti Swings Big in Tennessee

Top Hitter Phillis Meti Swings Big in Tennessee

One of the newcomers to this year’s World Long Drive competition was New Zealander Phillis Meti, 30, who was the first female to compete in the Laughlin Memorial Hospital Tennessee Long Drive Shootout. The field…

Millbrook Resort to Host ISPS Handa NZ Open This Week

Millbrook Resort to Host ISPS Handa NZ Open This Week

The spectacular Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, New Zealand, hosts the ISPS Handa New Zealand Open this week.  The biggest event on the New Zealand golfing calendar, the tournament tees off from 9-12…

Lydia Ko Wants Golfing Pay Parity

Lydia Ko Wants Golfing Pay Parity

The world’s top woman golfer New Zealander Lydia Ko, 19, wants her stunning achievements as a teenager to narrow the sport’s huge gap in prize money between men and women, according to the Daily…

Three Golfers Selected to Represent NZ at Rio

Three Golfers Selected to Represent NZ at Rio

Lydia Ko, Danny Lee and Ryan Fox have been chosen to represent New Zealand in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, as reported in the Fiji Times. “This is a truly proud moment for…

Lydia Ko Cruises to 3rd Title of Season in Arkansas

Lydia Ko Cruises to 3rd Title of Season in Arkansas

Sparked by a stretch of four birdies in her first five holes at the NW Arkansas Championship, New Zealand world champion golfer Lydia Ko, 19, opened an early four-shot lead and was rarely challenged…

Lydia Ko Named in ESPN World Fame 100 Ranking

Lydia Ko Named in ESPN World Fame 100 Ranking

Lydia Ko has been ranked 81st in ESPN’s World Fame 100 List. She is the only New Zealander among the Top 100 Most Famous athletes and one of only eight women on the list. “Ko…

Lydia Ko Wins ANA Inspiration

Lydia Ko Wins ANA Inspiration

“Lydia Ko saved her best for last when she birdied the 72nd hole in Sunday’s ANA Inspiration finale to become the youngest golfer in the modern era to win back-to-back major championships”, writes Emily…

Lydia Ko claims 11th LPGA Tour Title with Kia Classic

Lydia Ko claims 11th LPGA Tour Title with Kia Classic

New Zealand golfing superstar Lydia Ko won the Kia Classic on Sunday at Aviara, and has reaffirmed her position as the top player in the world heading into the first major championship…

Lydia Ko Wins New Zealand Open

Lydia Ko Wins New Zealand Open

Lydia Ko has won 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” and “prevailed playing through what the Ladies…

Michael Long Wins Vic Open with Magic Shot

Michael Long Wins Vic Open with Magic Shot

Cromwell-born former PGA Tour professional Michael Long said he could not have hit the incredible chip shot that won him this year’s Vic Open if he had another 99 tries. Long admitted he thought he…

Lydia Ko’s Impact On The Game of Golf

Lydia Ko’s Impact On The Game of Golf

Lydia Ko’s impact on the game of golf extends well beyond her years, according to an article in ESPN. The South Korean-born, New Zealand-bred 18-year-old golfer, is one of the most precocious sports…

Marvel Gives Lydia Ko Comic Book Treatment

Marvel Gives Lydia Ko Comic Book Treatment

Lydia Ko, 18, might as well be a super hero, according to Korea Times correspondent Brian Han. That’s why Marvel teamed up with ESPN to give the New Zealand golf champion the comic book…

Golfing Star Lydia Ko Picks up Another Trophy

Golfing Star Lydia Ko Picks up Another Trophy

Eighteen-year-old Aucklander Lydia Ko has scooped the US$1 million LPGA Tour jackpot and has been named the women’s LPGA Player of the Year, becoming the youngest in its 49-year history to do so. Ko retained…

Lydia Ko on TIME’s Most Influential Teen List

Lydia Ko on TIME’s Most Influential Teen List

Auckland professional golfer Lydia Ko, 18, has once again made TIME’s annual “30 Most Influential Teens” list. At the age of 17, this New Zealander became the youngest golfer to be ranked number one in…

Lydia Ko Reclaims No. 1 Title in Taiwan

Lydia Ko Reclaims No. 1 Title in Taiwan

New Zealander Lydia Ko, 18, has won the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship and has regained the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, replacing American Nancy Lopez as the youngest player to win 10 events…

Historic Win for Lydia Ko

Historic Win for Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko made golfing history when she won Sunday’s Evian Championship in France as the youngest winner of a women’s major. The win was her fourth LPGA win of 2015 and the ninth of…

Lydia Ko Wins Canadian Pacific

Lydia Ko Wins Canadian Pacific

Lydia Ko has won the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open for the third time and first as a professional, beating American Stacy Lewis with a par on the first hole of a playoff. The 18-year-old Ko…

Danny Lee Wins Greenbrier Classic

Danny Lee Wins Greenbrier Classic

Rotorua golfer Danny Lee has earned his first PGA Tour win at The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia in a four-man playoff nearly eight years after becoming a U.S. Amateur champion at age 18. “I kind of felt…

Golf Champion Michael Campbell Calls It Quits

Golf Champion Michael Campbell Calls It Quits

Former US Open Champion New Zealander Michael Campbell, 46, is retiring from golf to concentrate on running his golf academy in Malaga, Spain. Campbell, who won the Open at Pinehurst in 2005, told New Zealand’s…

Lydia Ko to Donate Winnings to Disaster-Struck Nepal

Lydia Ko to Donate Winnings to Disaster-Struck Nepal

New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko is planning to donate all her winnings from this week’s LPGA tournament to the relief effort in quake-hit Nepal. The winner of this week’s tournament will receive $A 243,400. The golfing…

Lydia Ko Budding Superstar of Women’s Golf

Lydia Ko Budding Superstar of Women’s Golf

As a phenomenon so far New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko, 17, is on par with the young Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Are we on the brink of…

As Lydia Ko Turns 18 She Hopes to Celebrate with a Major

As Lydia Ko Turns 18 She Hopes to Celebrate with a Major

Few golfers have had better runs than the one that has swept New Zealander Lydia Ko, 17, to the top of the world rankings. She has entered the women’s first major, the ANA Inspiration…

Lydia Ko takes New Zealand Women’s Open for 2nd-straight victory

Lydia Ko takes New Zealand Women’s Open for 2nd-straight victory

Lydia Ko, the 17 year old New Zealand LPGA star sits atop of the golf world with her second straight win of the 2015 season finishing with a 1-under 71 at Clearwater Golf Club…

Lydia Ko’s Latest Caddie Lands the Top Gig

Lydia Ko’s Latest Caddie Lands the Top Gig

Lydia Ko’s search for the right caddie has been an intriguing storyline for the media throughout her short span on the LPGA Tour, but it appears Australian bag man Jason Hamilton, for the foreseeable…

Lydia Ko Becomes Youngest LPGA Rookie of Year

Lydia Ko Becomes Youngest LPGA Rookie of Year

New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko has become the youngest winner of the LPGA’s Rookie of the Year award in a season in which she has won twice, secured two runner-up finishes, and gained nine…

Steve Williams Reflects on Stellar Caddie Career

Steve Williams Reflects on Stellar Caddie Career

Steve Williams, one of the world’s most famous caddies, talks to the New York Times about his plans to wind down his dream career after being inducted to the Caddie Hall of Fame this…

Steve Williams Inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame

Steve Williams Inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame

After a career that has lasted nearly four decades, New Zealander Steve Williams, 50, has been inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame by the Western Golf Association. Williams received a bronze caddie statue as…

Aucklander Wins Washington Amateur Golf Tournament

Aucklander Wins Washington Amateur Golf Tournament

Aucklander James Beale has won the 113th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship in Washington on the 38th hole, defeating American Cole Madey. Beale, who last week finished fourth in the Sahalee Players Championship, capped off…

Lydia Ko Pairs with Famed Caddy at Pinehurst

Lydia Ko Pairs with Famed Caddy at Pinehurst

Professional golfer Lydia Ko, 17, ranked No 3 in the world, has been keeping good company of late, playing a nine-hole practice round at Pinehurst recently with sexagenarian caddie Mike Cowan, who worked for…

Golf Commentator One Voice worth Listening to

Golf Commentator One Voice worth Listening to

In a business rife with mediocrity, New Zealand-born commentator Frank Nobilo is one voice worth listening to, writes John Huggan for the Scotsman. For a decade or so before he made the jump to the…

Pro Win for One of the Most Influential People on Planet

Pro Win for One of the Most Influential People on Planet

Still only 17 years of age, New Zealander Lydia Ko is in her rookie season as a professional – the LPGA waiving their age limit of 18 on account of her talent and maturity…

Golf needs people like Tiger, says Campbell

Golf needs people like Tiger, says Campbell

Former US Open champion New Zealander Michael Campbell, 45, who famously defeated Tiger Woods by two strokes to win the 2005 US Open, is co-hosting four studio review shows with FOX Sports in Singapore…

Toddler’s Golf Swing a Match for Tiger’s

Toddler’s Golf Swing a Match for Tiger’s

A New Zealand toddler has just placed third in an international competition for junior golf swings. William Tye, who modelled his golf swing on Tiger Woods after watching a video of the famous athlete,…

Much Good to Be Had from a Gift like Lydia’s

Much Good to Be Had from a Gift like Lydia’s

As Lydia Ko, 16, began her rookie year playing as a professional in the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic last week, ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel profiled the world’s No 4-ranked player. Winner of two…

Lydia Ko Rises to Fourth in the World Ranking

Lydia Ko Rises to Fourth in the World Ranking

After her first win as a professional, kiwi teenager Lydia Ko has moved up two places to number four in the world rankings. Over the weekend she won the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters US$800,000…

Ko Wins First Professional Title

Ko Wins First Professional Title

09 December 2013 – Just a matter of weeks after announcing that she had turned pro, New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko has won her first professional title. The 16-year-old won the Swinging Skirts World Ladies…

Move to the Sunshine Has Rejuvenated Golfer

Move to the Sunshine Has Rejuvenated Golfer

Queensland Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner Hamilton-born Jim Cusdin, 28, credits a move to Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast for revitalising his golf career. It was somewhat of a risk he says, but…