Lydia Ko (born 24 April 1997) is a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
and the
No. 1-ranked woman professional golfer. She first achieved the top ranking on 2 February 2015 at of age, making her the youngest player of either gender to be ranked No. 1 in professional golf.
Ko had much success from an early age holding many youngest accolades on the LPGA Tour. Until 2017, she is the youngest ever (age 15) to win an
LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of wee ...
event. In August 2013, she became the only amateur to win two LPGA Tour events. Upon winning
The Evian Championship in France on 13 September 2015, she became the youngest woman, at age , to win a major championship. Her closing round of 63 was a record lowest final round in the history of women's golf majors,
but she lowered that record with a 62 at the 2021
ANA Inspiration
The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...
. She had previously won the
ANA Inspiration
The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...
on 3 April 2016 for her second consecutive major championship, where she also became the youngest player to win two women's major championships.
In 2014, Ko was named as one of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'' magazine's 100 most influential people.
In both 2014 and 2015, Ko was named in the
EspnW Impact25 list of 25 athletes and influencers who have made the greatest impact for women in sports.
In 2016, Ko was named
Young New Zealander of the Year, and in the
2019 New Year Honours
The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...
, she was appointed a
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to golf.
In November 2022, Ko won the
CME Group Tour Championship with its $2 million first-place prize, completing the LPGA Tour season with three wins, the
LPGA Player of the Year
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...
award for the second time in her career, the
Vare Trophy
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...
for the lowest scoring average, the 2022
leading money winner,
and rose to number two in the
Women's World Golf Rankings.
Ko is a player director on the LPGA Board.
Early life and education
Ko was born on 24 April 1997 in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
, South Korea, and emigrated with her family to New Zealand when she was four, gaining New Zealand citizenship at age 12. She began playing golf as a five-year-old when her mother took her into a pro shop at the Pupuke Golf Club
on
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
's
North Shore North Shore or Northshore may refer to:
Geographic features Australia
*North Shore (Sydney), a suburban region of Sydney
**Electoral district of North Shore
**North Shore railway line, Sydney
*Noosa North Shore, Queensland
* North Shore, New So ...
owned by professional Guy Wilson, who coached her until 22 December 2013.
She was a seven-year-old in March 2005 when she first came to the attention of the media, for competing in the New Zealand national amateur championships.
She was educated at Mairangi Bay Primary and
Pinehurst School in
Albany, New Zealand
Albany ( mi, Ōkahukura) is one of the northernmost suburbs of the contiguous Auckland metropolitan area in New Zealand. It is located to the north of the Waitematā Harbour, northwest of the Auckland city centre. The suburb is in the Albany ...
, and when she joined the professional golf tour she took correspondence classes with Pinehurst. Starting in 2015 Ko said she would study psychology extramurally with
Korea University
Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities.
T ...
, Seoul. The
Yonhap
Yonhap News Agency is a major South Korean news agency. It is based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap provides news articles, pictures and other information to newspapers, TV networks and other media in South Korea.
History
Yonhap (, , translit. ' ...
news agency reported her as saying "I'll have to listen to what the university says to decide how I will do my studies. I'll have to make sure I submit the required papers and projects as the majority of my classes will be done online."
2012 Women's NSW Open
On 29 January 2012, Ko became the youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event by winning the
Bing Lee
Bing Lee is an Australian retailing company, a chain of superstores specialising in consumer electronics, computer and telecommunication goods. Bing Lee is the largest privately held electrical retail business in New South Wales with 41 stor ...
/
Samsung
The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
Women's NSW Open on the
ALPG Tour.
She was 14 at the time, and had placed second in the event the year before. The previous youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event was Japan's
Ryo Ishikawa at age 15 years and 8 months. Her record as the youngest winner of a professional event was broken later in 2012 by 14-year-old Canadian
Brooke Henderson, who won the second event on that year's Canadian Women's Tour on 13 June.
2012 and 2013 CN Canadian Women's Open
On 26 August 2012, at the age of 15 years and four months, Ko became the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Tour event, winning with a score of 275 (−13) at the
CN Canadian Women's Open. She surpassed the record set by
Lexi Thompson at 16 years and seven months in September 2011. Her win also made her only the fifth amateur to have won an LPGA Tour event, and the first in over 43 years.
The 2012 CN Canadian Women's Open was a 72-hole event with a purse of
$2 million; the winner's share of $300,000 went to runner-up
Inbee Park who was three strokes back.
Ko successfully defended her win at the 2013 CN Canadian Open, shooting 265 (−15) for a five-stroke victory over
Karine Icher at the
Royal Mayfair Club
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
in Edmonton. The $300,000 winner's share went to Icher.
Professional career
After finishing runner-up to
Suzann Pettersen
Suzann Pettersen (born 7 April 1981) is a retired Norwegian professional golfer. She played mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour, and was also a member of the Ladies European Tour. Her career best world ranking was second and she held that position ...
in
The Evian Championship in France, Ko announced that she would turn pro in 2014.
However, on 23 October 2013, she stated in a
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
video featuring New Zealand rugby player
Israel Dagg
Israel Jamahl Akuhata Dagg (born 6 June 1988) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. He has also played for the New Zealand Sevens team, and represents Hawkes Bay in the ITM Cup.
Dagg played in ...
that she was turning professional immediately and would play her first professional tournament in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
in mid-November. She had been the
top-ranked woman amateur golfer in the world for 130 weeks when she announced she was turning professional on 23 October 2013. She finished tied for 21st in her pro debut at the
2013 CME Group Titleholders
The 2013 CME Group Titleholders was the third CME Group Titleholders, a women's professional golf tournament and the season-ending event on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. It was played November 21–24 at the Gold Course of Tiburón Golf Club in Naples ...
.
In October 2013, the LPGA Tour granted Ko's request to join the LPGA, waiving the Tour's requirement of members being at least 18 years old. "It is not often that the LPGA welcomes a rookie who is already a back-to-back LPGA Tour champion," tour commissioner Mike Whan said when he granted Ko's request.
In November 2013, Ko began working with swing coach David Leadbetter.
2014
Ko won three tournaments in 2014. On 27 April 2014, she earned her first LPGA Tour win as a professional and her first win on U.S. soil, by winning the
Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic
The Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic was a women's professional golf tournament in California on the LPGA Tour, held at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, an adjacent suburb south of San Francisco. It debuted in April 2014, but ran for just three ...
. She celebrated her 17th birthday during this tournament. In July, she won her second tournament of the year, the
Marathon Classic
The Dana Open Presented By Marathon, is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1984 and has been played yearly, except in 1986 and 2011, in Sylvania, Ohio, a suburb northwest of Toledo. The tournament is tele ...
. In November 2014, she won her third tournament of the season, the season ending
CME Group Tour Championship. She won the
LPGA Rookie of the Year
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...
. Ko commemorated the occasion with the inscription "IV-XXVII-XIV" (4-27-14 in Roman numerals), on her right wrist.
2015
Ko won five times in 2015. On 2 February 2015, she became the No. 1
ranked woman professional golfer after a runner-up finish at the
Coates Golf Championship
The Coates Golf Championship was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. It debuted as the first event in 2015 and was played at Golden Ocala Golf Club, west of Ocala, Florida
Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ma ...
, overtaking
Inbee Park. On 22 February 2015, Ko won her first event of the
2015 LPGA Tour season at the
ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open. The win was her sixth on the
LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of wee ...
, and her ninth victory overall. The following week, Ko returned home and won her tenth professional championship at the
ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open. The victory in this tournament was her second of the 2015 season, the win was also her third on the Ladies European Tour, and fourth with ALPG Tour. Highlighted in her victory at New Zealand was her
LET
Let or LET may refer to:
Sports
* Let serve, when the served object in certain racket sports hits the net and lands in the correct service court, such as;
** Let (badminton)
** Let (pickleball)
** Let (tennis)
* Ladies European Tour, the ladi ...
low-round tying and course record 61 during the second round.
At the first major of the 2015 season, the
ANA Inspiration
The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...
, Ko shot a 1-under-par 71 in the first round on 2 April, tying her with
Annika Sörenstam
Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (; born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 90 intern ...
for the all-time LPGA record for consecutive rounds under par, at 29. Three weeks later, Ko would win her second LPGA Tour event of the 2015 season, when she beat
Morgan Pressel in a playoff to win the
Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic
The Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic was a women's professional golf tournament in California on the LPGA Tour, held at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, an adjacent suburb south of San Francisco. It debuted in April 2014, but ran for just three ...
. She would defeat Pressel with birdie on the second playoff hole. The victory was her seventh overall on tour, and her second win at the event in as many years. Her win was also her third win worldwide in 2015. The victory would be the second time she has defended a championship on tour. The playoff win was also her second on tour, bringing her playoff record to 2–0. Ko would go on to miss the cut at the 2015
KPMG Women's PGA Championship
The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...
. The missed cut would be her first in her fourteen major championship appearances. She would find solid success in her next two major championships with a T12 finish at the 2015
U.S. Women's Open, and a T3 finish at the 2015
Ricoh Women's British Open.
On 23 August 2015, Ko won her third
Canadian Pacific Women's Open
The CP Women's Open (french: Open féminin du Canada) is a women's professional golf tournament managed by Golf Canada. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since its founding in 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.
...
in a playoff against
Stacy Lewis. She defeated Lewis, with par on the first hole of the playoff. The victory was the eighth for Ko on the LPGA Tour, and the third of the 2015 season, and fourth win worldwide for her in 2015. The playoff victory was also her third win in such circumstances, and would bring her career LPGA playoff record to 3–0.
On 13 September 2015, Ko won the fifth and final major on the 2015 LPGA calendar, the
2015 Evian Championship
The 2015 Evian Championship was played 10–13 September at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France. It was the 22nd Evian Championship (the first 19 played as the Evian Masters), and the third as a major championship on the LPGA ...
. She dominated the final round with eight birdies, winning by six shots over second-place finisher
Lexi Thompson. Her 63 was the lowest-ever closing round score in a women's major championship. It was Ko's fourth win on the LPGA Tour in 2015, ninth on the LPGA Tour overall and fourth on the Ladies European Tour. Ko's victory also made her the youngest major champion in the history of the LPGA Tour and the youngest major champion in golf since
Young Tom Morris, when he won the
1868 Open Championship
The 1868 Open Championship was the ninth Open Championship and was held on 23 September at Prestwick Golf Club. Tom Morris, Jr. won the championship for the first time, by three shots from his father Tom Morris, Sr. Tom Morris, Jr. was just ...
.
On 26 October 2015, Ko became the youngest player to win 10 events on a major tour at age surpassing
Horton Smith who set the PGA Tour mark of 21 years, 7 months in 1929, and
Nancy Lopez
Nancy Marie Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is an American former professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events, including three major championships.
Amateur career
Lopez won the New Mexico Women's ...
who set the previous LPGA Tour record in 1979 at 22 years, 2 months, 5 days.
On 22 November 2015, Ko won the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year Award by two points over Inbee Park, making her the youngest winner in the 49 years of the award.
2016

Ko won four times in 2016. Ko's 2016 started where she left off from 2015, winning the
ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open for a third time in four years by two shots from
Choi Hye-jin,
Felicity Johnson, and
Nanna Koerstz Madsen
Nanna Koerstz Madsen (born 23 October 1994) is a Danish professional golfer who plays on the American LPGA Tour and maintains membership of the Ladies European Tour (LET). She won the 2022 Honda LPGA Thailand and made history becoming the first ...
. Just 11 minutes before she was due to tee off for her final round, an earthquake struck, with Ko vowing to donate her prize money to charity to help those affected.
On the LPGA Tour, Ko won the
Kia Classic in March with a four-shot margin over
Inbee Park, and the following week, on 3 April, she made it consecutive major titles with a one-shot victory at the
ANA Inspiration
The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...
. The win strengthened her position as No. 1 in the world as she became the youngest double major winner in the history of the game since
Young Tom Morris at the
1869 Open Championship. Later, she added two more victories on the LPGA Tour at the
Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and
Marathon Classic
The Dana Open Presented By Marathon, is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1984 and has been played yearly, except in 1986 and 2011, in Sylvania, Ohio, a suburb northwest of Toledo. The tournament is tele ...
. In August, she represented New Zealand at the
2016 Summer Olympics, where she won the silver medal. Ko was runner-up for the
Vare Trophy
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...
(lowest scoring average) for a second consecutive year; however, last year's difference of 0.026 was, literally, twice as much as this year's 0.013 which separated her from winner
Chun In-gee.
Following the 2016 season, Ko announced that she had signed an equipment sponsorship contract with Parson's Xtreme Golf (PXG), ending her use of Callaway equipment. Ko also announced in December that she had parted ways with both her caddie and swing coach David Leadbetter, who had been coaching Ko since November 2013.
2017
Ko entered 26 events, did not win a tournament, finished in the top-10 ten times, and her year-end world ranking dropped to ninth. She started her 2017 LPGA Tour season at the
ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open where she finished tied for 46th. She then had three consecutive top-10 finishes at the
Honda LPGA Thailand,
HSBC Women's Champions, and the
Bank of Hope Founders Cup. In her fifth event of the season, Ko missed just her second LPGA Tour cut at the
Kia Classic with rounds of 74 and 72. She then defended her
ANA Inspiration
The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...
title at the
2017 ANA Inspiration
The 2017 ANA Inspiration was a professional women's golf tournament played March 30 – April 2 at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. It was the 46th edition of the tournament, and its 3 ...
event. She opened with two rounds of 70, followed by a third-round 71, and rounded out the year's first major with a third round of 70 to finish in a tie for 11th place. In her seventh start of 2017, she closed with rounds of 65 and 64 to finish tied for second place at the
Lotte Championship, her best finish of the season. She had back-to-back top-10 finishes at the
Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play
The Lorena Ochoa Invitational was a women's professional golf tournament in México on the LPGA Tour. Hosted by Lorena Ochoa, the event debuted in November 2008 LPGA Tour, 2008 at the course where she learned to play, Guadalajara Country Club in ...
and
Kingsmill Championship where she ended T-9 and T-10, respectively.
Ko ended the 2017 season with a scoring average of 68.86 which ranked her No. 9 and a total season earnings of $1,177,450 which put her at No. 13 on the season's money list. This was the fourth consecutive season in which she won at least $1,000,000 and it brought her career earnings to $8,560,344 which ranks her No. 22 on the career money list.
[
The season ending CME Group Tour Championship was Ko's 100th tournament on the LPGA Tour as a professional. In all, she has played 116 tournaments on the LPGA Tour, 100 as a pro and 16 as an amateur. In those 116 tournaments, she won 14 titles, had 12 runner-up finishes, and another 10 third-place finishes, meaning that she had a top-3 finish in roughly one third of the events she has played. Additionally, she accumulated 64 top-10 finishes and amassed career earnings of $8,560,344 which ranks her No. 22 on the LPGA Tour career money list.][
After just 14 LPGA tournaments (22 worldwide tournaments), Ko broke into the Rolex Rankings top-10 at No. 7 by winning her second Tour title on 25 August 2013. She has remained in the Rolex Rankings top-10 for the last 231 consecutive weeks (or ), as of 22 January 2018. Then after her first 44 LPGA tournaments, Ko ascended to the world No. 1 ranking for the first time on 2 February 2015. She was the world No. 1 for 85 weeks until June 2017.
]
2018
Ko entered 26 tournaments, won once, at the LPGA Mediheal Championship
The LPGA Mediheal Championship is a women's professional golf tournament in California on the LPGA Tour. A new event in 2018, it was held at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, an adjacent suburb south of San Francisco. The course hosted the ...
, and finished in the top-10 ten times, and did not win a major championship tournament.
2019
Ko entered 24 events, did not win a tournament, and finished in the top-10 four times.
2020
Ko entered 13 tournaments, won no events, and finished in the top-10 four times.
2021
Ko entered 20 LPGA events, winning once. She won no major championships.
In April, Ko won her first LPGA Tour event since 2018 at the 2021 Lotte Championship, Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...
.
In August, Ko represented New Zealand at the 2021 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal.
Ko won the 2021 Vare Trophy
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...
for the lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour. She closed the trophy out in November by finishing second in a playoff at the Pelican Women's Championship and shooting a final round 64 to finish in the top 10 at the CME Group Tour Championship. Nelly Korda and Ko Jin-young
Ko Jin-young (;, born 7 July 1995), also known as Jin Young Ko, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. By age 22 years, she had won 10 times on the LPGA of Korea Tour, was second at the 2015 Ricoh Women’s British Op ...
both finished the year with lower scoring averages than Ko but neither completed the required 70 rounds over the season to be eligible for the trophy.
2022
Ko secured her 17th LPGA win on 30 January at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio
The Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio is a women's professional golf tournament in Florida on the LPGA Tour. Originally, Gainbridge had sponsored a tournament at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 2017 to 2019, it was moved to Florida in 2020 and p ...
, beating Danielle Kang by one stroke, 274 (14 under par) to Kang's 275 in a back-and-forth lead in the fourth round. Ko claimed her 18th LPGA win on 23 October, at the BMW Ladies Championship
The BMW Ladies Championship is a women's professional golf tournament in Wonju, South Korea, co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Korea Tour and the LPGA Tour. It debuted in 2019. It replaced the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship as the LPGA Tour's Korean ...
in Wonju
Wonju () is the most populous city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city is located approximately east of Seoul. Wonju was the site of three crucial battles during the Korean War.
Geography
Wonju sits at the southwestern corner of Gangw ...
, located approximately east of her Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
birthplace.
In November, Ko won the CME Group Tour Championship and the record $2 million first prize. With the win, Ko won the season's money title, Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average and the LPGA Player of the Year for 2022.[
On 28 November, she returned to the Number 1 ranking for the first time since ]2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
. Nelly Korda dropped from Number 1 for the past two weeks to Number 2.
Personal life
On 30 December 2022, Ko married Chung Jun, the son of the Hyundai Card Vice Chairman Chung Tae-young, at the Myeondong Cathedral in Seoul.
Amateur wins
*2011 Australian Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship, New Zealand Women's Amateur Strokeplay Championship, New Zealand Women's Amateur Matchplay Championship
*2012 Australian Women's Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur
The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). F ...
, Espirito Santo Trophy
The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation.
The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fre ...
(top individual)
Professional wins (25)
LPGA Tour wins (19)
Ko won the 2012 and 2013 CN Canadian Women's Opens as an amateur.
Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1978. It is based at Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal str ...
.
Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour.
LPGA Tour playoff record (5–2)
Ladies European Tour wins (6)
Ko won the 2013 ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open as an amateur.
Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of wee ...
.
Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour.
ALPG Tour wins (5)
Ko won the Bing Lee Samsung Women's NSW Open and the 2013 ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open as an amateur.
Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of wee ...
.
Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1978. It is based at Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal str ...
.
KLPGA Tour wins (1)
Major championships
Wins (2)
Results timeline
''Results not in chronological order before 2019 or in 2020.''
^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.
LA = low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
T = tied
Summary
*Most consecutive cuts made – 21 (2015 U.S. Open – 2019 PGA)
*Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (2015 British – 2016 U.S. Women's Open)
*Longest streak of top-3s – 5 (2015 British – 2016 U.S. Women's Open)
Summer Olympics (2)
Singles: 2 (1 silver, 1 bronze medal)
LPGA Tour career summary
^ Official as of 2022 season[
a Includes matchplay and other events without a cut]
Notes: 1) Ko turned professional on 23 October 2013, but was not a member of the LPGA Tour. Money earned in 2013 was not considered official by the LPGA Tour. 2) She made the cut in her first 53 LPGA Tour events, with the first 16 being as an amateur. After missing the cut at the 2015 KPMG Women's PGA Championship
The 2015 KPMG Women's PGA Championship was the 61st Women's PGA Championship, held June 11–14 at Westchester Country Club in Harrison, New York, a suburb northeast of New York City.
The 2015 edition saw major changes to the event, due to a ...
held 11–14 June, Ko made the next 40 consecutive tour event cuts until she missed her second LPGA cut at the 2017 Kia Classic held 23–26 March.
World ranking
Position in Women's World Golf Rankings (Rolex Rankings) at the end of each calendar year.
* On 2 February 2015, Ko first ascended to the world No. 1 ranking.
* On 12 June 2017, her streak of 85 consecutive weeks (3rd longest all-time) with the No. 1-ranking came to an end when Ariya Jutanugarn won the 2017 Manulife LPGA Classic to move up one spot. Since 2 February 2015, when she first became the world No. 1 golfer, she held the top ranking for 104 total weeks which ranks her 3rd highest, only behind Lorena Ochoa
Lorena Ochoa Reyes (; born 15 November 1981) is a Mexican former professional golfer who played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour from 2003 to 2010. She was the top-ranked female golfer in the world for 158 consecutive and total weeks (both are LPGA ...
's 158 weeks and Yani Tseng's 109 weeks.
* On 18 July 2016, Ko hit her highest point average of 15.47.
* On 18 July 2016, Ko established her biggest point lead over the No. 2-ranked player. Her 15.47 average was 7.10 points above No. 2-ranked Brooke Henderson's 8.37 average.[
]
Team appearances
Amateur
*Espirito Santo Trophy
The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation.
The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fre ...
(representing New Zealand): 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
* Astor Trophy (representing New Zealand): 2011
* Queen Sirikit Cup (representing New Zealand): 2010, 2011, 2012
Records and achievements
* On 29 January 2012, became the youngest person to ever win a professional golf tour event (New South Wales Women's Open) at age .
* On 26 August 2012, became the youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event ( Canadian Women's Open) at age
* On 10 February 2013, became the youngest winner of a Ladies European Tour event (ISPS Handa NZ Women's Open) at age .
* On 25 August 2013, became the youngest and only amateur to win two LPGA Tour events – age 15 and 16 (2012 and 2013 Canadian Women's Open)
* On 12 November 2014, became the youngest winner of the LPGA Rookie of the Year in LPGA history at age surpassing Laura Baugh who won her title at and held the "youngest" label for 41 years.
* On 23 November 2014, became the youngest player to win 5 events on a major tour at age .
* On 23 November 2014, became the youngest and first player to win the biggest payout in LPGA history, taking home US$1.5 million after capturing the tour's season-ending event and winning the inaugural Race to the CME Globe at age .
* On 23 November 2014, became the youngest rookie player to set an LPGA record for most money earned by a rookie at $2,089,033 at age – breaking Julieta Granada's 2006 mark of $1,633,586.
* On 2 February 2015, became the youngest player of either gender to ever be ranked No. 1 in professional golf by both the Official World Golf Ranking
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of professional golfers. It was started in 1986.
The rankings are based on a player's position in individual tournaments (i.e. not pairs or team events) over a "rolli ...
and the Rolex World Golf Ranking at age , eclipsing Tiger Woods who was 21 years, 5 months and 15 days when he became men's world number one in 1997 and Jiyai Shin who was 22 years and 5 days when she became women's world number one in 2010.
* On 22 February 2015, became the youngest winner of the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open title at age .
* On 2 April 2015, tied Annika Sörenstam
Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (; born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 90 intern ...
for the most consecutive rounds under-par in LPGA Tour events, at 29.
* On 15 July 2015, became the youngest winner of Best Female Golfer ESPY Award at age .
* On 13 September 2015, became the youngest player in the "modern era" (post-1900) of either gender to win a major championship at The Evian Championship at age surpassing Johnny McDermott who was 19 years, 9 months and 14 days when he won his PGA major in 1911 and Morgan Pressel who was 18 years, 10 months and 9 days when she won her LPGA major in 2007.
* On 13 September 2015, her closing round of 63 in the Evian was the record lowest final round in the history of women's golf majors.[
* On 26 October 2015, became the youngest player to win 10 events on a major tour at age surpassing Horton Smith who set the PGA Tour mark of 21 years, 7 months in 1929, and ]Nancy Lopez
Nancy Marie Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is an American former professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events, including three major championships.
Amateur career
Lopez won the New Mexico Women's ...
who set the previous LPGA Tour record in 1979 at 22 years, 2 months, 5 days.
* On 22 November 2015, became the youngest winner of the LPGA Top Ten Finishes with 17 top ten finishes in 24 events (71%), at age .
* On 22 November 2015, became the youngest winner of the LPGA Official Money List at age .
* On 22 November 2015, became the youngest winner of the LPGA Player of the Year in the 49 years history of the award at age , surpassing Nancy Lopez who won her title at age 21 years, 10 months and 6 days and held the "youngest" title for 37 years.
* On 22 November 2015, became the youngest MVP/Player of the Year ever across all four major sports and the LPGA/PGA Tour: LPGA - Lydia Ko (18); PGA - Tiger Woods (21); NHL - Wayne Gretzky (19); NFL - Jim Brown (21); NBA - Derrick Rose(22); MLB - Stan Musial, Johnny Bench, Vida Blue (22)
* On 28 December 2015, became the youngest year-end #1 in Rolex Rankings history at age .
* On 3 April 2016, became the youngest player in the "modern era" (post-1900) of either gender to win 2 major championships at the ANA Inspiration at age , surpassing Gene Sarazen who was 20 years, 5 months and 22 days when he won his second PGA major in 1922 and Se Ri Pak who was 20 years, 9 months and 8 days when she won her second LPGA major in 1998.
* On 3 April 2016, became the first New Zealander to win 2 majors. The other New Zealanders who have won a major, Sir Bob Charles and Michael Campbell, have each won one.
* On 11 July 2016, Ko finished T3 at the U.S. Open. This marked her 5th consecutive top-3 finish in a major. She finished T3, 1, 1, 2, T3 at the 2015 British Open, 2015 Evian Champ., 2016 ANA Inspiration, 2016 Women's PGA Champ., and 2016 U.S. Open, respectively.
* On 17 July 2016, Ko won the Marathon Classic for her fourth Tour title of the year. It marked her second consecutive year winning at least four Tour titles (she won five Tour titles in 2015). It's also her second consecutive season winning at least US$2.25M and her third consecutive season winning at least US$2.00M.
* As of 10 October 2016, Ko's career money stands at $7,307,824 in just 70 events and puts her at #25 on the Career Money List. It took her 16 events to win her first million. Since then, she's reached each subsequent million-dollar milestone in more than 10 events. It took her 10 events to go from $1M to $2M, 9 events from $2M to $3M, 10 events from $3M to $4M, only 7 events from $4M to $5M, 9 events from $5M to $6M, and only 4 events to go from $6M to $7M.
* On 20 August 2016, became the youngest Olympic medal winner (silver) in women's golf in Rio. She also became New Zealand's youngest individual female medallist at the Olympics.
* In 2016, Ko became only the 3rd woman, after Lorena Ochoa and Yani Tseng, to hold the world No. 1 ranking for all 52 weeks of the year.
Career money records
* On 20 July 2014, became the youngest millionaire ever on the LPGA in her first full season as a pro when she won the Marathon Classic taking her accumulated prize earnings to over US$1 million at age . Ko reached the US$1 million mark in 16 events (5 months 25 days) second fastest behind the record holder Paula Creamer who achieved the US$1 million mark in 16 events (4 months 27 days).
* On 23 November 2014, became the youngest and fastest player to surpass US$2 million in career earnings at age The previous record holder, Yani Tseng, accomplished this feat in 32 events. Ko reached the US$2 million mark in just 26 events – the most ever made by a rookie; over US$3 million if include bonus prize of US$1 million for winning the Race to the CME Globe 2014 (CME Globe bonus prize does not count on player's LPGA official earnings)
* On 3 May 2015, became the youngest and fastest player to surpass US$3 million in career earnings at age . The previous record holder, Yani Tseng, accomplished this feat in 53 events. Ko reached the US$3 million mark in just 35 events.
* On 13 September 2015, became the youngest and fastest player to surpass US$4 million career earnings at age after winning her first major at the Evian Championship. The previous record holder, Yani Tseng, accomplished this feat in 65 events. Ko reached the US$4 million mark in just 45 events.
* On 21 February 2016, became the youngest and fastest player to surpass US$5 million career earnings at age after finishing second in the Women's Australian Open. The previous record holder, Yani Tseng, accomplished this feat in 76 events. Ko reached the US$5 million mark in just 52 events.
* On 12 June 2016, became the youngest and fastest player to surpass US$6 million career earnings at age after finishing second in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. The previous record holder, Yani Tseng, accomplished this feat in 84 events. Ko reached the US$6 million mark in just 61 events.
* On 17 July 2016, became the youngest and fastest player to surpass US$7 million career earnings at age after winning the Marathon Classic, her 4th Tour title of the year. The previous record holder, Yani Tseng, accomplished this feat in 90 events. Ko reached the US$7 million mark in just 65 events.
* On 10 September 2017, became the youngest and fastest player to surpass US$8 million career earnings at age after finishing 2nd at the Indy Women in Tech Championship. The previous record holder, Yani Tseng, accomplished this feat in 98 events. Ko reached the US$8 million mark in 93 events.
* On 30 January 2022, became the ninth-largest money winner in LPGA history with $12,668,796.[
* On 20 November 2022, won $2 million at the CME Group Tour Championship, climbing two spots to become the fifth-largest money winner in LPGA history with $16,695,357.]
See also
* List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
* List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
References
External links
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Lydia Ko at Yahoo! Sports
Lydia Ko at HarbourGolf.co.nz
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ko, Lydia
New Zealand female golfers
LPGA Tour golfers
Winners of ladies' major amateur golf championships
Winners of LPGA major golf championships
Olympic golfers of New Zealand
Golfers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Golfers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand
Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand
Olympic medalists in golf
Golfers from Seoul
Golfers from Auckland
People educated at Pinehurst School
New Zealand people of Korean descent
South Korean emigrants to New Zealand
Naturalised citizens of New Zealand
1997 births
Living people