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Lydia Ko
Date of Birth: 4/24/1997

The World No.1 made international headlines when she claimed the NSW Open to be the youngest ever (male or female) to win a professional event at the age of 14. Ko broke Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa’s mark of winning at 15 years, 8 months, and Australian Amy Yang’s women’s record of 16 years, 192 days in the Australian Ladies Masters. It confirmed her status as one of the most exciting young players in the game today. But golf fans in New Zealand have known that Ko is a special talent for some time. Back in 2009 she was the youngest ever finalist in the New Zealand Amateur when she lost 4 and 3 to Cecilia Cho. Two years later she won the event by the same margin at the Russley Golf Club to become the youngest champion in history. Ko has made a habit of rewriting history in her short but very successful amateur career. She is the youngest winner of the Australian Amateur and winner of the Mellsop Cup (New Zealand Stroke Play) along with a number of other titles. Her performances at the 2010 and 2011 New Zealand Women’s Opens in Christchurch left her professional rivals shaking their heads at the teenager’s incredible composure. She is the youngest played to achieve the mantle of World No.1 and also the youngest golfer to be the medalist at the US Amateur. In young Lydia Ko, New Zealand Golf boasts a superstar of world golf.