Lydia Ko Bio
Bo-Gyung “Lydia” Ko, widely known as Lydia Ko, is a New Zealand professional golfer, a member of the LPGA Hall of Fame, and the reigning Olympic champion. Born on 24 April 1997 in Seoul, South Korea, she emigrated to New Zealand as a child and went on to become the youngest player ever, male or female, to reach No. 1 in the Women’s World Golf Rankings. She has collected medals at three consecutive Olympic Games and continues to be one of the most decorated figures in the modern women’s game.
Known to fans as “Lyds,” Ko turned professional in 2013 and has since built a resume that includes multiple major championships, LPGA Player of the Year honors, and a record-setting Olympic medal haul. Residing in Orlando, Florida, she remains an active force on the LPGA Tour and a player director on the LPGA Board.
Early Life and Background
Lydia Ko was born in Seoul, South Korea, on 24 April 1997, and her family moved to New Zealand when she was four years old. She gained New Zealand citizenship at the age of 12, beginning the international path that would later define her career. Her mother first introduced her to the game by taking her into the pro shop at the Pupuke Golf Club on Auckland’s North Shore, an experience that sparked a lifelong connection to the sport.
Ko’s early coach was professional Guy Wilson, who mentored her at Pupuke until December 2013 and helped shape her fundamentals during her most formative junior years. By age seven she was already competing in the New Zealand national amateur championships, drawing early media attention for her poise and scoring. She attended Mairangi Bay Primary and Pinehurst School in Albany, New Zealand, balancing her junior golf schedule with correspondence classes once she began touring professionally.
Beginning in 2015, Ko added a new academic pursuit, enrolling to study psychology extramurally with Korea University in Seoul. Most of her coursework has been completed online so she can continue competing on the LPGA Tour at the same time.
Path to Golf
Lydia Ko’s rise through the amateur ranks was unusually rapid. In January 2012, at just 14 years old, she became the youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event, taking the Bing Lee/Samsung Women’s NSW Open on the ALPG Tour. That record was later broken by Brooke Henderson, but it announced Ko as a generational talent well before she finished high school.
A few months later, in August 2012, Ko became the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Tour event when she captured the CN Canadian Women’s Open at 15 years and four months old, the first amateur to win an LPGA Tour event in more than 43 years. She successfully defended the Canadian Women’s Open title in 2013, cementing her status as the top-ranked amateur in the world for 130 consecutive weeks before announcing her decision to turn professional.
On 23 October 2013, Ko declared she was turning professional, and the LPGA Tour granted her request to join despite the standard minimum-age requirement of 18. She made her professional debut later that year at the CME Group Titleholders, finishing tied for 21st. Shortly afterward she began working with renowned swing coach David Leadbetter, marking the start of her professional ascent.
Lydia Ko Career
Early Career (2013–2014)
After joining the LPGA Tour, Ko wasted little time establishing herself. She won three tournaments in 2014, beginning with the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in April, which was her first LPGA Tour victory as a professional and her first win on United States soil. She celebrated her 17th birthday during that tournament and followed it with victories at the Marathon Classic and the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
Her breakout rookie season earned her the LPGA Rookie of the Year award, an extraordinary accomplishment for a teenager who had only just turned pro. She also marked the occasion by inscribing “IV-XXVII-XIV” (4-27-14) in Roman numerals on her right wrist.
LPGA Tour Breakthrough (2015)
The 2015 season was the year Ko truly took over the women’s game. She rose to No. 1 in the Women’s World Golf Rankings on 2 February 2015 at 17 years, 9 months and 9 days old, the youngest player of either gender to reach No. 1 in professional golf. She collected five victories that season, including the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
On 13 September 2015, Ko won The Evian Championship in France by six shots, carding a final-round 63 that set the record for the lowest closing round in women’s major championship history. The win made her the youngest woman to win a major, at 18 years, 4 months and 20 days old, and the youngest major champion in golf since Young Tom Morris in 1868. She finished the season with the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year award, the youngest recipient in the award’s 49-year history.
Major Championships and World No. 1 Era (2016–2017)
In 2016, Ko captured her second consecutive major title at the ANA Inspiration, becoming the youngest double major winner in the history of the game since Young Tom Morris. She won four times that year, including the Kia Classic, the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, and the Marathon Classic, while also taking silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.
She held the No. 1 ranking for 85 consecutive weeks through June 2017. Her form dipped slightly in 2017, with no wins, but she remained a top-10 fixture, ending the year ranked No. 9 in the world with a 68.86 scoring average. The season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in 2017 marked her 100th LPGA Tour event as a professional.
Resurgence and Comeback (2021–2022)
Ko reclaimed her winning touch in April 2021 with a victory at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, her first LPGA win since 2018. She added a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and captured the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour.
She peaked again in 2022, winning three times, including the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio and the BMW Ladies Championship in Wonju, South Korea, near her birthplace of Seoul. Her November victory at the CME Group Tour Championship came with a record $2 million first-place prize. She swept the season’s money title, the Vare Trophy, and the LPGA Player of the Year award, returning to No. 1 in the world on 28 November 2022 for the first time since 2017.
Olympic Glory Era (2024–Present)
Ko won four times in 2024, beginning with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January. On 10 August 2024, she captured the gold medal in women’s golf at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, completing an unprecedented set of Olympic medals (silver in 2016, bronze in 2020, gold in 2024) and becoming the only golfer in the modern era to medal at three different Games.
The Olympic triumph qualified her for the LPGA Hall of Fame as the 35th and youngest inductee at age 27. Two weeks later she won the AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course at St Andrews for her third major championship, then added the Kroger Queen City Championship in September. In December 2024 she was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to golf, believed to be the youngest dame in the modern era. In 2025, she added a win at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
Notable Events and Milestones
Ko’s career is studded with record-setting moments. She became the youngest No. 1 in professional golf in 2015 and the youngest LPGA Tour winner in 2012. Her 63 in the final round of the 2015 Evian Championship set the record for the lowest closing round in a women’s major, a mark she later bettered with a 62 at the 2021 ANA Inspiration. Her 2024 Olympic gold medal made her the first golfer in the modern era to secure medals at three different Olympic Games, while her New Zealand Dame appointment at 27 marked her as the youngest person of the modern era to receive that honor.
Lydia Ko Career Wins
Lydia Ko has accumulated 31 professional victories across multiple tours around the world. Her win list spans the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA of Korea Tour, the WPGA Tour of Australasia, and other co-sanctioned events, a reflection of her global competitiveness since turning professional in 2013.
LPGA Tour Highlights
Ko has won 23 events on the LPGA Tour, including three major championships. Her first LPGA victory came as an amateur at the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open, which she also defended in 2013. Her first major title arrived at the 2015 Evian Championship, and she added the 2016 ANA Inspiration before claiming her third major at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews. Her most recent LPGA Tour victory came at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September 2024.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond the LPGA Tour, Ko has posted eight Ladies European Tour wins, one LPGA of Korea Tour win, and five ALPG Tour titles, including her historic 2012 Women’s NSW Open that made her the youngest ever to win a professional tour event. She also captured the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational mixed team tournament in December 2023 alongside Jason Day.
| Series | Wins | Major Titles |
|---|---|---|
| LPGA Tour | 23 | 3 |
| Ladies European Tour | 8 | 1 |
| ALPG Tour | 5 | 0 |
| LPGA of Korea Tour | 1 | 0 |
Lydia Ko Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Lydia Ko was born in Seoul, South Korea, and emigrated to New Zealand with her family at the age of four. Her mother played a central role in introducing her to golf at the Pupuke Golf Club on Auckland’s North Shore. The family settled on New Zealand’s North Shore, where Ko attended local schools while developing her junior golf career.
On 30 December 2022, Ko married Chung Jun, the son of Hyundai Card Vice Chairman Chung Tae-young, in a ceremony at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. The couple later settled in Orlando, Florida, where Ko is based while competing on the LPGA Tour.
2025 Season Performance
Lydia Ko’s 2025 campaign continued her late-career resurgence with consistent contention across the LPGA Tour. She opened the season with strong finishes and added a notable victory at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in March, demonstrating that her form from the historic 2024 season had carried into the new year.
Beyond her win in Singapore, Ko maintained her position among the top players in the Women’s World Golf Rankings and continued to play an active leadership role as a player director on the LPGA Board. Her performance reflected the steady, low-scoring profile that has defined her career, and she remained a fixture in contention at major championships throughout the season.
With her Hall of Fame induction secured and her Olympic legacy complete, Ko’s 2025 outlook was framed less by chasing milestones and more by sustained excellence, adding to a career that already ranks among the most decorated in women’s golf history.
