New Zealand's Lydia Ko is one of the biggest stars in the women’s game with over 20 professional wins worldwide, including two Major Championships. She has also enjoyed multiple spells as the World No. 1, most recently reclaiming that status following victory at the 2022 CME Group Tour Championship.
At the same event, she also pocketed the then-highest winner's cheque in women's golf, so it's safe to say her place in history is secured. But how well do you actually know her? Here are 16 things you might not have known about Lydia Ko...
16 Things You Didn't Know About Lydia Ko
1. Bo-Gyung “Lydia” Ko was born April 24, 1997 in Seoul, South Korea.
2. Ko emigrated to New Zealand when she was just an infant and studied at Pinehurst School in Albany.
3. When she was five years old, Ko was taken to the pro shop at Pupuke Golf Club by her mother, and from there she fell in love with the game.
4. Ko first received media attention in 2005 when, at only seven years old, she appeared at the New Zealand Amateur Championships.
5. The New Zealander’s hobbies include tennis, rock climbing and reading.
6. In 2011, Ko became the first female to win the Mark H. McCormack Medal, an award given to the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings by the R&A. Ko also retained it in 2012 and '13.
7. At the age of 14, the New Zealander became the then-youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event, tasting success at the Women's New South Wales Open on the ALPG Tour.
8. Ko was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people when she was only 16 years old.
9. Before turning pro, Ko spent 130 weeks as the top-ranked women's amateur in the world, during which time she won the LPGA’s Canadian Open twice. This made her the first amateur to win an LPGA Tour event in over 43 years and the youngest to ever do it, beating the previous record set by Lexi Thompson.
10. In her first full season as a pro (2014), she won three LPGA events and was awarded Rookie of the Year.
11. Ko has been voted New Zealand’s Sportswoman of the Year three times: 2013, 2014 and 2015.
12. In 2015 and '16, Ko dominated the women’s game, winning nine times on the LPGA Tour and three times on the Ladies European Tour. This included two Major Championships and an Olympic silver medal. She added a bronze medal to her roll of honour at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
13. In 2015, the New Zealander became the youngest player, male or female, to reach No. 1 in the world.
14. Ko has twice been named in the ESPNW Impact 25 list of 25 athletes and influencers who have made the greatest impact for women in sport.
15. Ko was coached by David Leadbetter in the early part of her pro career before the pair controversially split in 2016. In an interview with New Zealand’s Radio Sport, Leadbetter said: "Her parents have a lot to answer for. They tell her when to go to bed, what to eat, what to wear, when to practice and what to practice. And they expect her to win every tournament."
16. Her sponsors include ECCO and Lexus, while Lydia Ko's what's in the bag now features predominantly Titleist clubs after her five-year PXG deal came to an end in the early part of 2022.
