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Tag: Lydia Ko

  • Lydia Ko Sets “Youngest LPGA Rookie Of The Year” Record

    Lydia Ko, at 17 years of age, has managed to become the LPGA’s youngest Rookie of The Year. Ko managed to clinch the point-based award while still having three tournaments left in her schedule. The New Zealand native managed to keep an impressive record with two wins, two runner-up finishes, and nine other finishes in the top 10. The last person to hold the youngest LPGA Rookie of The Year record was Laura Baugh, who won the award back in 1973 when she was just 18 years old.

    2014 was Ko’s first campaign as a professional golfer in the LPGA. According to Ko, “It’s really been a dream rookie season for me. I learned so much and am glad to have achieved some of my goals along the way. It’s an honor to have my name now etched alongside such amazing players and legends of the game on the list of Rookie of the Year winners.”

    Ko currently ranks third in both the LPGA’s Road to CME Globe points race as well as the Rolex Rankings. She also became the youngest millionaire in the LPGA, racking up $1.5 million in earnings. Ko is in Mexico this week for the Lorena Ochoa Invitational where she will be joined by Inbree Park and Stacy Lewis for Thursday’s first round.

    Lydia Ko, who began playing golf at age five, became the top ranked woman amateur golfer in the world for 130 weeks prior to going pro last year. Aside from becoming the youngest LPGA Rookie of The Year, she also managed to become the youngest person to win a professional tour event back when she was 14 years old. Also worthy of note is the fact that before going pro, she’s the only amateur to ever win two LPGA tour events.

    When Ko announced her decision to become a professional golfer, the LPGA waived their requirement of members being at least 18 years old to join the tour. “It is not often that the LPGA welcomes a rookie who is already a back-to-back LPGA Tour champion,” tour commissioner Mike Whan said in a statement.

  • Lydia Ko: Golf Prodigy Wins Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters

    One look at Lydia Ko, and you might not guess that this unassuming young woman is one of the top players in professional golf today.

    The Korean-born, New Zealander just turned 17 on Sunday when she claimed victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. Shortly before that, Ko was included in Time Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.

    While this is Ko’s third win in the LPGA, it is the first time that she’s been allowed to collect money for her efforts (amateur golfers don’t win prize money). To add to her already stellar career stats, her recent win is her sixth in worldwide professional golf events.

    Ko had to go through some off-target drives during her last LPGA tournament, but she focused as she hit a perfect 6-foot birdie in the final hole for her first LPGA Tour win as a professional golfer. Ko beat 29-year-old American golfer Stacy Lewis and fellow Korean Jenny Shin and went on to win third place in the tournament.

    In a post-match interview, Ko said that she could not have had a “better birthday week” after her win, and that her birthday can be considered “sweet 17”.

    The victory earned Ko a total of $270,000 worth of winnings. Three days after her actual birthday, the gallery sang “Happy Birthday” at the first tee box.

    Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in North Harbour, New Zealand, Lydia Ko was the top-seeded female amateur golfer in the world for a total of 130 weeks before finally turning pro in October of 2013. She earned the title of youngest person to ever win a pro golf tour event, as well as the youngest golfer to ever win an LPGA tour event.

    Ko’s exposure to the game of golf started when she was five years old. In an article by Time Magazine, eight-time holder of the LPGA Tour Player of the Year title Annika Sorenstam called Ko an “exceptionally talented” player who is “mature beyond her years”.

    Lydia Ko’s post win interview


    Image via YouTube

  • Christiano Ronaldo on TIME’s ‘Most Influential’ List

    FIFA soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is featured this year in TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and joins other influentials like Pope Francis, Barack Obama and pop icon Beyoncé on this year’s list.

    There were only five other sports dignitaries noted on the magazine’s 2014 list. They were Brooklyn Nets star Jason Collins, Seattle Seahawks SuperBowl champion Richard Sherman, Tennis virtuoso Serena Williams and golf pro Lydia Ko.

    Brazilian soccer legend Pele heralded his fellow ‘futball’ star on the magazine page featuring the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 winner.

    “Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most influential athletes in sports today. I greatly respect his competitive mind-set on the field, and it’s no surprise that he is currently considered the best soccer player in the world. He reminds me a bit of my late friend and Portuguese soccer legend Eusebio,” said Pele.

    “I had the opportunity to share his joy onstage at this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich. Cristiano never ceases to give his best for his national team. He reminds me a bit of my late friend and Portuguese soccer legend Eusébio. They have the same elegance and creativity,” said Pele.

    “Back when I played, I would have loved having a teammate like Cristiano to play with up front. I would like to encourage him to keep up the hard work and to continue to fuel the passion for the sport among today’s youth.”

    The Portuguese native is the only Real Madrid player in history to have scored more than 30 goals in four consecutive seasons and the fastest player to have reached 100 goals.

    Image via YouTube