Lydia Ko Youngest Winner in LPGA Tour History

Youngest Ever: A 15-year-old shows her elders how to string together a series of record-breaking wins.

Korean New Zealander Lydia Ko, 15, became the youngest woman ever to win an LPGA Tour championship Sunday at the Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, British Columbia. As an amateur, however, Ko forfeited the $300,000 winner’s check to Inbee Park who finished 3 shots back in second place.

Ko dominated at the Canadian Open by opening with consecutive 68s, followed by a 72 and a 5-under-67 on Sunday to win with a 13-under 275.

The Korean-born New Zealander replaced Lexi Thompson — who had won last September’s Navistar LPGA Classic at the age of 16 — as the youngest woman ever to win an LPGA tour championship. Ko is also only the fifth amateur to win an LPGA title.

“To break another record, or being in the history, it’s amazing, and it’s always awesome to be able to play with the pros,” Ko said.

But she considers her most memorable win to be the US Women’s Amateur two weeks ago in Cleveland.

“I didn’t cry after this one,” said Ko, “but that one I did cry. Yeah, to me, US Amateur is a big event, and obviously this is a huge event as well. But still, as an amateur winning one of the biggest amateur events, I feel like it was a better win — even though this one was awesome.”

Ko’s first world record came in January when she won the New South Wales Open in Australia while only 14 to become the youngest to win a professional tour event. That record, however, was broken in June by Brooke Henderson, 14, in a 36-hole Canadian Women’s Tour event in Quebec.

Inbee Park shot a 69 Sunday to finish second, three shots behind Ko.

“The pressure she was handling is really amazing,” Park said. “I’m really happy for her. It’s great for her career — and I think I was just lucky to get the winner’s check today.”

Tied for 3rd place at 8 under were Women’s Open champion Na Yeon Choi, Chella Choi and Jiyai Shin.

Despite her remarkable string of recent champioships Ko plans to keep her amateur status and hopes attend college in the US, possibly Stanford from which Korean American sensation Michelle Wie graduated in May. Ko will be starting 11th grade at the end of the summer. But she plans to play at the British Women’s Open next month, followed by the World Amateur and the LPGA Tour Titleholders finale.

Ko was born in Seoul, Korea. Her family chose to settle in Auckland over Toronto, Canada because they liked the weather better.