article: Lydia Ko tied Annika Sorenstam's LPGA Tour record with her 29th consecutive round under par, shooting a 1-under 71 on Thursday at 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 ninth. The top-ranked New Zealander started the streak in the first round of her victory in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship last year. Her worldwide streak is 32, counting the three rounds she played in her victory in the Ladies European Tour's New Zealand Women's Open this year. Teenage sensation Lydia Ko acknowledges the crowd after finishing the first round at the ANA Inspiration . The 17-year-old equalled former world No 1 Annika Sorenstam's record of 29 under par rounds in a row . The New Zealand world No 1 tees off at the par 3 eighth hole at the event in California . Sorenstam set the LPGA Tour mark in 2004. Ko also won the Women's Australian Open winner in February the week before her New Zealand victory, she was a stroke behind leaders Charley Hull, Na Yeon Choi and Austin Ernst halfway through the first round in the first major championship of the season. Opening in strong morning wind at tree-lined Mission Hills, Ko made a 14-foot birdie putt on her first hole and got to 2 under with an 8-footer on the 12th. She bogeyed the par-4 13th, hitting into the front right bunker and leaving herself a 25-foot par putt. After playing partner Lexi Thompson hit into the water in front of the green on the 133-yard 14th with the wind gusting to 25-30 mph, Ko hit pin-high to the right and made the 15-footer for birdie. Former world No 1 Sorenstam set her LPGA tour record of consecutive rounds under par in 2004 . Defending champion Lexi Thomas could only manage a round of 72 on her opener . Ko bogeyed three of the next four holes to make the turn at 1 over. Playing into a right-to-left crosswind on the par-4 15th, she drove into the front of the left fairway bunker. Close to the lip of the bunker, she chipped 30 yards to the fairway and hit her third to 35 feet. On the par-4 16th, she drove to the left, with the ball stopping in rough on the front edge of a bunker. Her fairway wood with the ball below her feet ended up short of the green in the left rough and she hit her third to 20 feet. Michelle Wie watches on after making a shot on the 12th of the Mission Hills tournament . The US superstar dropped two shots on the final hole to card a 72 for her first round . She was fortunate to only drop one shot on the par-5 18th. After driving into the right rough, hitting a fairway wood into the left rough, and sending her third through the green, Ko hit a flop shot that ticked a palm tree and stopped in the fringe, leaving a steep downhill putt that raced 15 feet past. She made the putt for a bogey save. Ko got back to even par on the par-5 second, hitting a chip to a foot. She also chipped to a foot on the par-3 fifth after missing the green to the left. Thompson, the defending champion, had a 72. Michelle Wie, second last year, had a double bogey on No. 18 in a 73.
highlights: Lydia Ko posted a round of 71 in first round of the ANA Inspiration .
  The 17-year-old equalled Annika Sorenstam's LPGA record of 29 successive rounds under par .
  Michelle Wie stumbled with a double bogey at the 18th for a score of 73 .
prediction: Lydia Ko 
   with 
   consecutive 
  , 
   under 71 on 
   17 - year - old Ko 
   She 
   to 
   Tour' s 
   the first round at the ANA Inspiration . 
   former world No 1 Annika Sorenstam' s record of 29 under par rounds in a row . The New Zealand world No 1 
   Former 
   S 
   set her LPGA tour 
   par in 2004 
   Lexi Thomas 
   a round of 72 on her 
  