Lydia Ko facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dame Lydia Ko DNZM
Ko in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Bo-Gyung "Lydia" Ko
Nickname	Lyds
Born	(1997-04-24) 24 April 1997 (age 28) Seoul, South Korea
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Residence	Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Career
College	Korea University
Turned professional	2013
Current tour(s)	LPGA Tour
Professional wins	30
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour	22
Ladies European Tour	8
LPGA of Korea Tour	1
ALPG Tour	5
Other	1
Best results in LPGA Major Championships (Wins: 3)
Kraft Nabisco C'ship	Won: 2016
LPGA Championship	2nd: 2016
U.S. Women's Open	T3: 2016
Women's British Open	Won: 2024
The Evian Championship	Won: 2015
Achievements and awards
Mark H. McCormack Medal	2011, 2012, 2013
Halberg Supreme Award	2013
New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year	2013, 2014, 2015
LPGA Vare Trophy	2021, 2022
LPGA Player of the Year	2015, 2022
LPGA Tour Money Winner	2015, 2022
LPGA Rookie of the Year	2014
Rolex Annika Major Award	2016
Best Female Golfer ESPY Award	2015, 2016
Race to the CME Globe	2014, 2015, 2022

Dame Lydia Ko is a professional golfer from New Zealand. She was born on April 24, 1997. Lydia made history on February 2, 2015, when she became the youngest golfer ever, male or female, to be ranked number one in professional golf. She was only 17 years old!

Lydia Ko has achieved many amazing things in golf from a very young age. She was the youngest person to win an LPGA Tour event at just 15 years old. In 2013, she became the only amateur (someone who plays for fun, not money) to win two LPGA Tour events. In 2015, she won her first major championship, the Evian Championship, becoming the youngest woman to do so. She also won the ANA Inspiration in 2016, making her the youngest player to win two major championships for women.

Lydia has been recognized for her impact on sports. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in 2014. She also received the Young New Zealander of the Year award in 2016. In 2019, she was honored as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her contributions to golf. In 2025, she was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, becoming one of the youngest people to receive this high honor.

In 2022, Lydia had a fantastic year. She won the CME Group Tour Championship and its big $2 million prize. She also won the LPGA Player of the Year award for the second time and the Vare Trophy for having the lowest average score. She was the top money winner on the LPGA Tour that year and returned to the number two spot in the world rankings.

Lydia Ko has also had incredible success at the Olympic Games. In 2024, she won the gold medal at the Paris Summer Olympics. This win meant she qualified for the LPGA Hall of Fame, becoming the youngest person to join at age 27. With her bronze medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver medal from the Rio 2016 Olympics, she is the first golfer in modern history to win all three types of Olympic medals.

Early Life and Golf Start

Lydia Ko was born in Seoul, South Korea, on April 24, 1997. When she was four years old, her family moved to New Zealand. She became a New Zealand citizen when she was 12.

Lydia started playing golf at age five. Her mom took her to a golf shop at the Pupuke Golf Club in Auckland. There, she met professional golfer Guy Wilson, who became her coach for many years. She first caught the media's attention in 2005, at age seven, when she played in the New Zealand national amateur championships. She went to Mairangi Bay Primary and Pinehurst School in Albany, New Zealand. Later, when she became a professional golfer, she took online classes from Pinehurst. In 2015, she also started studying psychology online at Korea University in Seoul.

Youngest Wins as an Amateur

Lydia Ko started winning professional golf events even before she became a professional herself!

2012 Women's NSW Open

On January 29, 2012, Lydia became the youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event. She won the Bing Lee/Samsung Women's NSW Open on the ALPG Tour. She was only 14 years old at the time. The year before, she had placed second in the same event. Her record was later broken by another 14-year-old, Brooke Henderson, in 2012.

2012 and 2013 CN Canadian Women's Open

On August 26, 2012, Lydia Ko made history again. At 15 years and four months old, she became the youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event. She won the CN Canadian Women's Open. She was also only the fifth amateur golfer to win an LPGA Tour event, and the first in over 43 years! Even though she won, the prize money of $300,000 went to the second-place finisher, Inbee Park, because Lydia was still an amateur.

Lydia successfully defended her title at the 2013 CN Canadian Open. She won by five strokes. Again, since she was an amateur, the prize money went to the runner-up.

Becoming a Professional Golfer

After her amazing amateur career, Lydia Ko decided to become a professional golfer. On October 23, 2013, she announced she was turning pro. She had been the top-ranked amateur woman golfer in the world for 130 weeks!

The LPGA Tour allowed Lydia to join even though she was under 18. This was a special exception because she had already won two LPGA Tour events as an amateur. The commissioner of the LPGA Tour, Mike Whan, said it was rare for them to welcome a rookie who was already a two-time champion.

Highlights of Her Professional Career

Lydia Ko quickly became a star in professional golf.

First Professional Wins

In 2014, Lydia won three tournaments. On April 27, 2014, she got her first LPGA Tour win as a professional at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. She celebrated her 17th birthday during this tournament. She also won the Marathon Classic and the CME Group Tour Championship. She was named the LPGA Rookie of the Year for 2014.

Reaching World Number One

On February 2, 2015, Lydia Ko became the No. 1 ranked woman professional golfer. She was the youngest player of any gender to reach this top spot in golf history. She held the No. 1 ranking for 85 weeks, which is the third-longest time ever!

In 2015, she won five times, including her first major championship, The Evian Championship. Her final round score of 63 was the lowest final round ever in a women's golf major at that time. She also became the youngest player to win 10 events on a major tour. At the end of 2015, she won the LPGA Player of the Year award, becoming the youngest winner in the award's history.

Major Championship Wins

Lydia Ko has won three major championships:

Year	Championship	Winning Score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
2015	The Evian Championship	−16 (268)	6 strokes	Lexi Thompson
2016	ANA Inspiration	−12 (276)	1 stroke	Charley Hull, Chun In-gee
2024	AIG Women's Open	−7 (281)	2 strokes	Nelly Korda, Jiyai Shin, Lilia Vu, Yin Ruoning

In 2016, Lydia won the ANA Inspiration, her second major title. This made her the youngest player in modern golf history to win two major championships. She also won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and the Marathon Classic that year.

Olympic Medals

Lydia Ko has made history at the Summer Olympics by winning a medal in three different games.

No.	Date	Tournament	Medal	Gold medalist	Silver medalist	Bronze medalist
1	20 Aug 2016	Rio Olympics	Silver	Inbee Park	Lydia Ko	Shanshan Feng
2	7 Aug 2021	Tokyo Olympics	Bronze	Nelly Korda	Mone Inami	Lydia Ko
3	10 Aug 2024	Paris Olympics	Gold	Lydia Ko	Esther Henseleit	Lin Xiyu

Recent Success

In 2021, Lydia won the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, her first LPGA Tour win since 2018. She also won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average that year.

In 2022, she had another fantastic season with three wins. She won the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio and the BMW Ladies Championship. She then won the CME Group Tour Championship, which came with a record $2 million prize. This win helped her become the top money winner, win the Vare Trophy, and be named LPGA Player of the Year for 2022. She also returned to the world No. 1 ranking.

In 2023, Lydia won the Aramco Saudi Ladies International and the Grant Thornton Invitational mixed team tournament with Jason Day. In 2024, she won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. After winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, she also won the AIG Women's Open, her third major championship. Two weeks later, she won the Kroger Queen City Championship, marking the first time since 2016 that she won two LPGA Tour events in a row.

Personal Life

On December 30, 2022, Lydia Ko married Chung Jun in Seoul. He is the son of Chung Tae-young, a vice chairman of Hyundai Card.

Team Appearances

Lydia Ko has represented New Zealand in several team golf events:

• Espirito Santo Trophy: 2010, 2012
• Astor Trophy: 2011
• Queen Sirikit Cup: 2010, 2011, 2012

Amazing Achievements

Lydia Ko holds many records in golf, especially for her young age:

• Youngest person to win a professional golf tour event (14 years old).
• Youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event (15 years old).
• Youngest and only amateur to win two LPGA Tour events.
• Youngest winner of the LPGA Rookie of the Year.
• Youngest player to be ranked No. 1 in professional golf (17 years old).
• Youngest player in the "modern era" to win a major championship (18 years old).
• Youngest player to win 10 events on a major tour.
• Youngest winner of the LPGA Player of the Year award.
• Youngest player in the "modern era" to win 2 major championships.
• First golfer in the modern era to win gold, silver, and bronze Olympic medals.
• Youngest person to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame (27 years old).

Images for kids

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  Lydia Ko at the 2016 Kingsmill Championship

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  Lydia Ko in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Lydia Ko para niños

• List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
• List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins