Ko ties Sorenstam’s record of 29 straight rounds under par

Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, hits out of the bunker on the 13th hole during the first round of the LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club on Thursday, April 2, 2015, in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, hits out of the bunker on the 13th hole during the first round of the LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club on Thursday, April 2, 2015, in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

By Associated Press April 2, 2015 1 min read

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) – Lydia Ko tied Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour record with her 29th consecutive round under par, shooting a 1-under 71 on Thursday in the ANA Inspiration.

The 17-year-old Ko saved par on the par-4 seventh – her 16th hole – after hitting an approach shot through a gap in the trees. She hit a 6-iron to 18 inches to set up a birdie on the 158-yard, par-3 eighth and closed with a par on the par-5 18th.

The top-ranked New Zealander started the streak in the first round of her victory last year in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Her worldwide streak is 32, counting her three rounds this year in her victory in the Ladies European Tour’s New Zealand Women’s Open.

Sorenstam set the LPGA Tour mark in 2004.