Lydia Ko
Golf’s role model on and off the course
Lydia Ko is celebrated for her remarkable achievements as well as for an unremitting dedication to the game that makes her a role model for aspiring golfers.
Evian is really a very special place for me, and this goes beyond the fact that I won my first Major there at 17.
Lydia Ko
Success from an early age
Lydia Ko, a professional golfer, born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, rose to prominence as one of the most successful young players in the history of the game.
Known for her work ethic and consistent play, she became the youngest player to achieve the world No. 1 ranking in both men’s and women’s professional golf. Her career highlights include major championship titles, LPGA Tour victories and Olympic medals.
Prodigious talent
Lydia Ko’s golf journey began in New Zealand, where she demonstrated prodigious talent from an early age.
She made history by winning her first professional tournament at the age of 14 and became the youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event at 15.
Ko again made history in February 2015 when she reached the top of the Women’s World Golf Rankings at just 17 years of age. By winning that year’s edition of The Amundi Evian Championship, she became the youngest woman to win a major championship, at just 18 years old. She added another in 2016 when victorious at the Chevron Championship.
In 2022, after capturing the CME Group Tour Championship for a second time and clinching her third season-long Race to the CME Globe, Ko reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking and earned her second Rolex Player of the Year award.
Ko claimed a third major when victorious at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open – played at St Andrews, the home of golf – just weeks after she won gold at the Paris Olympic Games. That result qualified her for entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame, making her, at age 27, the youngest ever player to be inducted.
Ko is revered by her peers, so it came as no surprise that she received the LPGA Heather Farr Perseverance Award in 2024. Voted by LPGA Tour players, the award honours a player who, through her hard work, dedication and love of the game of golf, has demonstrated determination, perseverance and spirit in fulfilling her goals as a player.
Lydia Ko became a Rolex Testimonee in 2014.