10 Facts About Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko is young teen phenom tearing it up in women's golf right now, only 15 at the time of this writing but already a multiple winner in pro tournaments. Here are 10 facts about Ko:
1. Lydia Ko was born in South Korea, but her family moved to New Zealand and she now competes under the New Zealand flag.
2. She was introduced to golf by an aunt; neither her mother nor her father played golf at the time Ko took up the game.
3. When she was young (!) - as in before she started gaining notice in the golf world - Ko idolized Michelle Wie.
4. She told Golf Digest in early 2013 that her dream foursome is Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy.
5. Her coach since age five is Guy Wilson, golf pro and owner of a pro shop in Auckland, New Zealand.
6. When Ko won the ALPG Bing Lee/Samsung Women's NSW Open in 2012, she became the youngest-ever winner - male or female - of a pro tournament on a world-rankings-recognized world golf tour. (Some people now cite Brooke Henderson, who won shortly after Ko's ALPG victory and at a younger age, on the Women's Canadian Tour, as the youngest-ever pro winner. But the Women's Canadian Tour does not award world ranking points, while the ALPG does. The Women's Canadian Tour qualifies as a mini-tour.)
7. When Ko won the 2012 Women's Canadian Open on the LPGA, she became the youngest-ever winner of a LPGA tournament, besting the previous recordholder by nearly 18 months.
8. The first-prize check at the 2012 Women's Canadian Open was $300,000. As an amateur, Ko received none of it - but her parents did give her a $500 reward for winning.
9. Ko is a member of Gulf Harbour Golf Club in North Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand.
10. Her favorite food comes from In-N-Out Burger. Which she can only get on travels to America.
(Photo credit: Singapore Sports Council/Flickr)
1. Lydia Ko was born in South Korea, but her family moved to New Zealand and she now competes under the New Zealand flag.
2. She was introduced to golf by an aunt; neither her mother nor her father played golf at the time Ko took up the game.
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4. She told Golf Digest in early 2013 that her dream foursome is Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy.
5. Her coach since age five is Guy Wilson, golf pro and owner of a pro shop in Auckland, New Zealand.
6. When Ko won the ALPG Bing Lee/Samsung Women's NSW Open in 2012, she became the youngest-ever winner - male or female - of a pro tournament on a world-rankings-recognized world golf tour. (Some people now cite Brooke Henderson, who won shortly after Ko's ALPG victory and at a younger age, on the Women's Canadian Tour, as the youngest-ever pro winner. But the Women's Canadian Tour does not award world ranking points, while the ALPG does. The Women's Canadian Tour qualifies as a mini-tour.)
7. When Ko won the 2012 Women's Canadian Open on the LPGA, she became the youngest-ever winner of a LPGA tournament, besting the previous recordholder by nearly 18 months.
8. The first-prize check at the 2012 Women's Canadian Open was $300,000. As an amateur, Ko received none of it - but her parents did give her a $500 reward for winning.
9. Ko is a member of Gulf Harbour Golf Club in North Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand.
10. Her favorite food comes from In-N-Out Burger. Which she can only get on travels to America.
(Photo credit: Singapore Sports Council/Flickr)
