SINGAPORE – Change is the buzzword for current women’s world No 1 golfer Lydia Ko as she heads into the opening round of the HSBC Women’s Champions today.

With a new coach, caddie and clubs in tow, and with the tournament set to be played on the Sentosa Golf CLub’s newly-refurbished Tanjong Course, instead of the previous Serapong Course, the 19-year-old is hoping that her fortunes in the HSBC Women’s Champions will also finally change.

After all, despite being the world’s best woman golfer, Ko has yet to win the US$1.5 million tournament despite having competed in it for the past three years. Her best showing came in 2015, when she finished second behind South Korean Park Inbee.

But Ko is quietly confident of her chances in the tournament this year, especially with it now being played on the Tanjong course.

“Obviously Serapong was a really nice golf course but Tanjong I think is more suitable for the average-length LPGA player, so I think it’s good,” said Ko at a pre-tournament press conference yesterday.

“The greens have a little bit of very subtle undulation, so even though it might not be a very long putt it could break three different ways. So I think the person that normally holes a putt is going to end up on top and I think that’s going to be the case again this week.

“I had a good time with my Pro-Am group this morning. I think we got these butterfly pins with every birdie we make…I got four butterflies and I was excited about that.”

Ko however, said it would be impossible to predict what the winning score would be this year. South Korean Jang Ha Na won the tournament last year with a 19-under tally, while Park secured the title with a 15-under score the year before.

“It’s really hard to say the winning score in any tournament, especially because you don’t exactly know what the weather is going to be like,” explained Ko. “With the Tanjong golf course, there’s not that many holes where it can block the wind.

“So you know that it could get windy here, and if it does blow, the course is going to play completely different. That is also with the rain. If the course plays softer, obviously it will play much longer. I think you can go a little bit longer and a little bit more aggressive here (Tanjong).”

According to the weatherman, thunderstorms are expected over the next four days.

Despite having held on to the world No. 1 spot for 90 weeks and counting, Ko insists she is not resting on her laurels and is seeking every means possible to improve her game, as evidenced by the change in her coach, caddie and clubs during the off-season.

“It’s always been one of my dreams to become the top-ranked player, and to be in this position is really cool,” she said.

“Sometimes people expect you to play well and win every week, but it’s more about consistency.

“Obviously everyone is trying to get better. Even though I am the No. 1 now, there are still a lot of aspects of my game that I need to improve on.

“At the end of the day…I think it’s about trying to improve on your game, and if those aspects improve, I think naturally the results will come.”

Tickets for the HSBC Women’s Champions are available at www.apactix.com