Kiwi world No.1 Lydia Ko has won her second New Zealand Women’s Open title in three years with a four-shot victory at Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch on Sunday.

Ko finished at 14-under-par, with 18-year-old Australian amateur Hannah Green claiming outright second.

West Australian Green produced an outstanding final round of four under, going three shots better than Ko on the final day.

“It was much tougher with the wind today,” Ko said.

“I would loved to have finished up with a good birdie on the last but it’s amazing to come back here in front of a great crowd.”

Nanna Koertsz Madsen of Denmark finished third, one stroke behind Green, with Marianne Skapnord and American Beth Allen tied for fourth a further shot back on 208.

Ko started slowly to finish the first day four shots off the pace after shooting two-under 70, before blasting around the par 72 course on Saturday in a record 61, which included 10 birdies and an eagle.

She was more circumspect in the final round, and less consistent, carding a one-under 71 which included a double bogey, two bogeys and five birdies to wrap up the win.

It’s Ko’s second title in two weeks, after she won the Australian Open title at Melbourne late last month.

Ko, 17, chose to contest the $NZ300,000 ($A290,000) New Zealand Open out of loyalty, spurning the chance to contest a far-richer LPGA event in Thailand.

She won her first New Zealand Open title as an amateur in February 2013 but was beaten by South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee, who beat Ko by one shot at last year’s event.