While Ariya Jutanugarn isn’t exactly a house-hold name, world No.1 golfer Lydia Ko is well aware of the young Thai’s talents heading into the final round of the Australian Open.

Kiwi Ko will start runaway favourite to win her first Open at Royal Melbourne but so far Jutanugarn has been able to match her.

The teenage pair shared the lead after the second round, and will go in to the final round in front at seven under.

They have a one stroke lead on South Korea’s Amy Yang while Australia’s Katherine Kirk and Paraguay’s Julieta Granada are at four under.

Ko, 17, said she hadn’t played in a professional tournament with Jutanugarn before but they spent time at super coach David Leadbetter’s Academy in the US and she was impressed by her big-hitting game.

“We see each other practise and we always say hello,” Ko said.

“Her strength is that she hits the ball a long way.

“It was raining one day at the Academy and we were playing to a simulator course and I hit six-iron and she hit a nine-iron so that kind of makes a big difference.

“Her short game is great too and her scores are showing that.”

Jutanugarn, 19, was poised to join Ko and American Lexi Thompson as the “next big thing” in golf.

In 2013 she won a Ladies European Tour event and nearly won the LPGA’s Honda Thailand event while playing in her homeland on a sponsor’s exemption.

But then while horsing around at a tournament with her older sister Moriya, who is also a golf pro, she fell down a hill with her shoulder requiring surgery and putting her out of the game for eight months.

Currently ranked world No.60, Jutanugarn appears ready to pick up where she left off and get back to her career-high world ranking of 15.