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Lydia Ko - Source: ONE Sport
Teenage golfing sensation Lydia Ko is coming to play in Christchurch.
Ko, 14, is a confirmed starter in the New Zealand Open at Pegasus, which tees off on February 17 her coach, Guy Wilson, confirmed yesterday.
Ko stunned the golfing world on Sunday when she became the youngest player in the world to win a women's professional tournament, the New South Wales Open at Oatlands, winning by four shots and heading players of the calibre of Laura Davies who won the New Zealand Open in 2010 and Kristie Smith who won it last year.
Today, she will play a practice round at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast with the latest American golf sensation, Lexi Thompson, 16, who has already won tournaments on the American LPGA Tour and the Ladies' European Tour.
Thompson turned professional at 15, but Wilson expects Ko, who will be 15 in April, to have another "three or four" years in the amateur ranks. By that time, if she continues at her present rate of development, she will have played in several of the top tournaments worldwide, and could play a major for the first time as early as April - the US$2 million (NZ$2.4m) Kraft-Nabisco tournament at Palm Springs in the United States from March 29-April 1.
"I asked for an exemption to play a couple of months ago, but haven't heard," Wilson said. "At this stage we couldn't afford to go but things can change."
Players need to be 18 to qualify to play on the professional tours, unless they get special exemptions which Thompson has received.
Bob Tuohy, the promoter of the New Zealand women's Open and a former professional golfer, cautioned against placing too many expectations on Ko.
"She needs to have time for her body to develop and to finish her schooling. She could have three more years as an amateur but she could still accept invitations to limited professional events," he said.
"She's the best amateur on the planet at the moment and a lovely young girl but you have to be careful of burnout. There have been a lot of other young players who have suffered that fate," said Tuohy
Wilson and Ko have a hectic three weeks ahead. This week she will play in the Australian Ladies Masters at Royal Pines, and the Australian Open in Melbourne next week, an event co-sanctioned with the LPGA Tour and which has attracted the cream of the world's players.
The following week the pair will be in Christchurch.
Ko, originally from Korea, will continue to represent New Zealand.
