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| Lydia Ko
(LPGA.com) |
LYDIA KO, 17, FROM NEW ZEALAND, ascended to No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings with her second-place finish at the Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida. The precocious Ko has surpassed everyone in the men’s and women’s professional game, becoming the youngest to attain the No. 1 ranking, including four years younger than Tiger Woods who reached the game’s summit at 21.
Ko moved past Inbee Park, who had been No. 1 for much of the last two seasons. Stacy Lewis is ranked third.
“It’s history,” said Lewis. “It’s never been done.
“I can’t say I’m surprised. It was just a matter of time. She’s playing some great golf right now and she’s confident. She’s rolling in putts and it’s good. She’s a good kid and a good person to see at the top of the world.”
Ko will tee it up at this week’s Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic in a field of 120 players. She has five wins and 23 top-10 finishes in 43 LPGA events.
| WHEN THEY REACHED NO. 1 | |||||
| PLAYER | AGE | WINS | TOP-10 | EVENTS | MC |
| Lydia Ko | 17/9/9 | 5 | 23 | 43 | 0 |
| Tiger Woods | 21/5/16 | 5 | 16 | 36 | 9 |
| Jiyai Shin | 22/0/5 | 6 | 24 | 47 | 1 |
| Yani Tseng | 22/0/22 | 6 | 34 | 78 | 5 |