By Roger Childs
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. –Golfing legend, Sweden’s Annika Sorestam 2014
A golfing sensation
She followed up her 2016 Rio Olympics silver medal with a bronze in Tokyo at the 2021 Games and by winning in Paris a couple of days ago she completed “the set”. Korean-born Lydia Ko is New Zealand’s greatest golfer, man or woman. She is also the only one to have topped the world rankings, something she did for 85 weeks.
In 2012 aged 14 she burst onto the world golfing scene with a win in the New South Wales Open making her the youngest player in the world to win a professional tournament. She was the world’s top amateur for 130 weeks before turning pro in 2013. In that year she won the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Halberg Sports Awards. She was also Sportswoman of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
Great success around the world
In 2012 Lydia joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) circuit in America – the toughest in the world. The administrators waived the age rule of 18 and Ko’s ability to compete with the best was quickly proven when she won the Canadian Open later in the year. She defended this title in 2013 with a record low score of 265 – 65, 69, 67, 64. She has 20 LPGA titles to her credit so far, and has also won tournaments in Asia, Europe and Britain, as well as in New Zealand and Australia.
As a result of her gold medal in the Paris Olympics and her amazing record since 2012 she will now be inducted into the prestigious LPGA Hall of Fame.
As Annika Sorestam commented above, Ko has increased world interest in women’s golf immensely leading to much greater media coverage and massive increases in galleries at the ladies’ tournaments. Wherever she plays, Lydia Ko is a great drawcard.
Decided on the 72nd hole
At the start of the final round in the 2024 Olympics competition in Paris, Ko shared the lead with Morgane Metraux from Switzerland, but the Swiss golfer dropped shots early on to leave the Kiwi in front. However, meantime, the tall German golfer Esther Henseleit came charging through the field. Having been seven shots behind Ko at the beginning of the last round, she was only one shot down when the Kiwi played the 18th hole. Henseleit at 8 under for the tournament was in the clubhouse watching on television as Ko, 9 under, played the last green. Fortunately, the Korean-born New Zealander kept her focus and two puts gave her the victory 10 under par.
It was highly appropriate that Annika Sorestam, Chairperson of the International Golf Federation, presented the medals. Being interviewed after the ceremony Ko spoke humbly of her pride in representing New Zealand and winning another gold for the country, and how she was looking forward to coming home.