Ko Plays It Cool

Throughout the year the Korean-born, New Zealand national transcended the world of women’s golf and established herself as one of the greatest teenage athletes in sporting history. In April, Ko became the youngest two-time major winner in LPGA history after a final hole birdie secured her victory at the ANA Inspiration. Affirming her mature abilities and superior performance on the most pressured of stages, Ko missed out on the KPMG PGA Championship title in June by a single stroke, following a play-off before tying-for-third place at the U.S. Women’s Open the following month.

This year’s success came as no surprise; Ko’s stratospheric rise to the top of the women’s game saw her become the youngest ever golfer to reach Number 1 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings in early 2015. Before turning professional in 2013, she had also been the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world for 130 weeks and made the cut in all 25 professional events she competed in. Ko won an LPGA event at 15, became the No. 1 player in the world at 17 and, when she won the 2015 Evian Championship, surpassed Morgan Pressel as the youngest winner of a women's major. Thirty-seven LPGA events have been won by teenagers, with Ko accounting for 13. The next-best teen record belongs to Lexi Thompson with four wins.