The Zone Interactive Golf Magazine (UK) The Zone Issue 28 | Page 23

T

here is only one possible
candidate for the title of world
golfer of the year. And it is not
Tiger Woods. Nor is it Phil Mickelson,
Adam Scott, Jason Dufner or Justin
Rose. No, it is not Henrik Stenson either.
Stacy Lewis? You are getting warmer.
Ibee Park then, surely?
No, the only possible contender
is a teenager who has just turned
professional. Her name is Lydia Ko and
if you haven't heard of her then shame
on women's golf for failing to project its
brightest prospect in a generation.
Unbelievably, Ko was already ranked
number five in the world when she made
the decision to turn pro, still aged just 16.
That means she is already rated a better
player than almost the entire European
and American Solheim Cup teams better than Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr et
al. Everybody in fact, other than Lewis.
The LPGA Tour has a rule that states
its members must be at least 18 years of
age. Wisely, that rule has been waived for
Miss Ko.
As is the way of things in 2013, Ko
decided not to call a press conference or
ask her agent to tell the world she was
turning pro. Instead, she tweeted the
news and also posted it on YouTube.
She said that she opted to do it this way
because she didn't want to make a "big
fuss". Well Lydia, I've got some news for
you - you had better get used to making a
fuss.
Despite her name, she was raised in
New Zealand, and her progress has been
phenomenal.
For those of you who haven't heard of
her, or know little about her, let's start
with the bald facts.
THEZONE / ISSUE 28

NEWS
On January 29, 2012, Ko became
the youngest person ever to win a
professional golf tour event when she
triumphed at the Bing Lee/Samsung
Women's NSW Open on the ALPG Tour.
She was 14 at the time, and had finished
second in the event the year before.
The previous youngest person ever to win
a professional golf tour event was Japan’s
Ryo Ishikawa, who was 15 years and 8
months. Ko lost her own record later in
2012 to 14-year-old Canadian Brooke
Henderson, who won the second event
on that year's Canadian Women's Tour.
In August last year, Ko became the
youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event,
winning the CN Canadian Women’s
Open at the age of 15 years and four
months with a 13-under-par total of
275. 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 more
than 43 years. The winner’s cheque for
$300,000 went to runner-up Inbee Park
who was three strokes back.
Unbelievably, Ko successfully defended
the title this year, this time shooting 265
for a five-stroke victory over Karine Icher
at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton.
Once again, the $300,000 winner’s share
went to Icher.
She finished second in the Evian Masters,
now a women’s major, and announced
afterwards that she would be turning
prtofessional next year, but she clearly
decided that she couldn’t wait.
And why would she? She has already
missed out on more than $1m in prize
money, although there is the promise of
untold millions to come.
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