Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko (Korean: 고보경, Hanja: 高寶璟, born Bo-Gyung Ko, 24 April 1997) is a professional golfer from New Zealand who became the No. 1 ranked woman professional golfer on 2 February 2015 at age 17, making her the youngest player of either gender to be ranked No. 1 in professional golf. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she had been the top-ranked woman amateur golfer in the world for 130 weeks when she announced she was turning professional on 23 October 2013. She became the youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event and youngest person ever to win an LPGA Tour event. In August 2013, she became the only amateur to win two LPGA Tour events. As an amateur she never missed a cut in 25 professional tournaments, and by September 2013 had risen to fifth in the Women's World Golf Rankings in only 23 professional tournaments. Ko began playing golf as a five-year-old when her mother took her into a pro shop at the Pupuke Golf Club on Auckland's North Shore owned by professional Guy Wilson who coached her until 22 December 2013. Ko was a seven-year-old in March 2005 when she first came to the attention of the media, for competing in the New Zealand national amateur championships. In April 2014, Ko was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. In the article, eight-time LPGA Tour Player of the Year, Annika Sörenstam, said Ko is "exceptionally talented, mature beyond her years and well liked by golf fans and competitors alike. She is responsible for sparking increased interest in our sport not just in her native South Korea and adopted homeland of New Zealand but also among juniors across the globe." The same month she advanced to No 2 woman professional golfer in the world when she won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.