K O by Lydia
The only thing that 18 year old phenom, Lydia Ko had not done in her career was to win a Major Championship.
She can check that off her list now.
Playing the LPGA’s final major of the year, the Evian Championship on Lake Geneva in France, Ko put together a closing round that was truly one for the ages. In doing so she also created history (not for the first time) by becoming the youngest player to have won a Major.
At 18 years and four months old, Ko is 6 months younger than Morgan Pressel who won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Ko began the final round two strokes behind overnight leader, Mi Hyang Lee and one behind American star, Lexi Thompson.
As Lee succumbed to the closing round pressure, Thompson and Ko separated themselves from the field during the front- 9.
Thompson birdied four of her first seven holes while Ko was 3-under after her front-9 and two behind Thompson. After Ko made consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes she took the lead from the 20-year old American to be 13-under par for the tournament. She would not relinquish that advantage.
With birdies on three of her final holes to close with a masterful, 8-under par, 63, Ko was 6 stokes clear of Thompson.
Afterwards Ko would say that: “To say that I’m the youngest in history for now, it’s so cool. To finish with two birdies, finish on the last, 72nd hole with a birdie, It doesn’t happen often, so it’s definitely one of the top rounds of my whole entire life, and I’m sure it will be in my career.”
Breaking records for the magnificent Kiwi is nothing new. Ko was the youngest player to win an LPGA tournament when she claimed the Canadian Open as a 15 year old Amateur in 2012. Earlier this year she became the youngest golfer (either male or female) to be ranked #1 in the Rolex World Golf Rankings when she claimed that spot in February. Ko was still only 17 years old at that time.
This is Ko’s 9th win on the LPGA Tour but she also has been victorious 4 times on both the Ladies European Tour and ALPG Tour and once on the LPGA of Korea Tour. 18 worldwide wins for the most unbelievable 18-year old golfer.
