History as teen Ko tops world ranking
Print Edition
Seventeen-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand became the youngest golfer to hold top spot in the world rankings by tying for second place at the LPGA season-opening Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida, on Saturday.
American Tiger Woods was previously the youngest golfer to become world No. 1 when he did it in 1997 at 21, while Korea’s Shin Ji-yai held the women’s record after reaching top spot in 2010 aged 22.
Woods was 21 years, 5 months, 16 days when he reached the top in 1997. The South Korean-born Ko reached the mark 3 years, 8 months, 14 days earlier. The men’s rankings date to 1986 and the women’s list is nine years old.
“Tiger Woods, he’s amazing,” Ko said. “I just try to have fun out there and I just came into the ranking. I’ll just try to keep focused and not worry about the ranking and learn from this season.”
Ko, led by as many as four strokes in the fourth round but slipped behind after a double-bogey six at the 17th hole as she finished one shot behind winner and good friend Choi Na-yeon of South Korea, who fired a 68 in the round, which was staged a day earlier than usual to avoid a last-day conflict with American football’s popular Super Bowl.
Still, it was good enough to lift her ahead of another South Korean, Park In-bee, in the rankings. Park shared 13th spot on 284.
“It’s amazing,” said Ko, who also ended the 2014 season by winning the CME Titleholders event in November and a US$1 million prize for claiming the season-long points race.
Ko, who as a 15-year-old amateur in 2012 became the youngest ever winner on the tour, shot a 1-under-par 71 for 15-under 273 to share second with American Jessica Korda and Jang Ha-na of South Korea at the Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club.
The precocious Ko began the final round with a one-stroke lead and was disappointed not to win the tournament, saying she hadn’t thought about her ranking.
“I didn’t really know what I needed to do to get in that position. All I was focused on was trying to play my best out here today,” she said. “So it’s a huge honor to be in that ranking.”
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