Lydia KO

New Zealand

Golf

Olympic Medals

Games Participations3

First Olympic GamesRio 2016

Year of Birth1997

Social Media

Biography

A child prodigy, Lydia Ko quickly ascended to the top of the world rankings while still only 17 years old. After winning two major titles and two Olympic medals, the the New Zealander had to overcome a significant dip in form to claim a remarkable piece of Olympic history by winning the gold medal at Paris 2024.

Lydia Ko: Journey from Seoul to New Zealand

Ko was born in the Korean capital Seoul in 1997. When she was just four, her family moved to New Zealand where she grew up and eventually obtained citizenship at 12.

While her birthplace has produced a wealth of talented women golfers in the past couple of decades, Ko had to overcome the difficulties of training in a country where the sport is not hugely popular.

“When I was growing up, [golf] wasn’t a big thing, especially in New Zealand," she recalled in an interview with Olympics.com. "Trying to go to golf courses was difficult, as was trying to get the right practice facilities. I remember my parents getting a pair of sneakers, and then they would take them to a shoe alteration place and get spikes put on them rather than buy junior golf shoes, as they weren’t readily available."

Lydia Ko's rise to world number one, struggles and revival

In 2012, the young prodigy made headlines by winning the Canadian Open and becoming the youngest LPGA Tour title winner at just 15 years and four months old. She retained that title 12 months later to become the only amateur to win two LPGA Tour events.

Having foregone over one million dollars in prize money, Ko turned professional in October 2013 having headed the amateur world rankings for 130 weeks. She quickly lived up to the hype with three LPGA Tour titles to help secure the 2015 LPGA Rookie of the Year award.

In February 2015, she became world number one for the first time and cemented that position with six titles that year including her first major at the Evian Championship in September.

Lydia Ko: Silver return at Rio 2016, bronze at Tokyo 2020

The teenager's scintillating form continued with five wins in 2016, including a second major at the ANA Inspiration (now Chevron Championship), before taking silver behind Inbee Park on golf's return to the Olympic Games at Rio 2016. She failed to win another title that year and changed her equipment provider as well as parting ways with her swing coach David Leadbetter.

Ko then struggled with her game and slipped down the world rankings. While she remained competitive, she had lost the winning touch she possessed in her teenage years.

While she celebrated her 21st birthday by ending a near-two-year title drought at the LPGA Mediheal Championships, she was unable to arrest her slide down the rankings. After plummeting to 55, Ko rediscovered her form and second place in the 2021 ANA Inspiration returned her to the fringes of the world's top 10. Two weeks later, she won the Lotte Championship by seven strokes for her first LPGA Tour title in almost three years.

In her second Olympic appearance, at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Games, Ko took bronze to add to her silver from Rio.

Three LPGA Tour title wins in 2022 helped the Kiwi regain her place at the top of the world rankings. But after opening 2023 with her second victory in the Saudi Ladies International on the Ladies European Tour, she toiled again and slipped out of the top 10.

Paris 2024 gold completes Ko's Olympic medal collection!

Ko started 2024 with victory in the Tournament of Champions, her first title since 2022, but her thoughts did not take long to turn towards a unique opportunity at Paris 2024.

"It’s (Paris) definitely the biggest thing that's lingering in my mind… It’d be pretty surreal to say that you've medalled at all three of the Olympics since its return in over 100 years… it'd be really cool to say I have the trio of all three colours,” she said.

Ko's ability to manifest that situation into a reality came alive at the Le Golf National course, where the Kiwi finished two shots clear of the field in a fiercely fought women's tournament.

It gave her the gold medal and made her the most decorated golfer in the history of the Olympic Games.

The Paris 2024 triumph also saw her become the youngest player ever to be inducted the LPGA Hall of Fame at just 27 years old.

Just weeks after being crowned Olympic champion, Ko won her third major title at the Women's British Open at St. Andrews