15 And A Winner: "Without doubt the golf story of the year"
Check out David Ebner's excellent Globe and Mail game story, courtesy of reader Matthew, covering U.S. Women's Amateur Champion and 15-year-old Lydia Ko's historic win in the CN Canadian Women's Open.
The victory makes Ko the youngest LPGA Tour winner...ever.
Ebner's lede:
As she walked to the 13th tee box, as 15-year-old amateur Lydia Ko pulled away from a star-studded field of professional women golfers like a Ferrari firing away from Fords, her mother Tina handed her a Ziploc bag of cherry tomatoes.
Ko proceeded to crank yet another long and straight drive off the box and then, walking up 13, snacked, offered some to her playing partners, and waved to her math teacher and his wife, in the gallery, visiting from her home back in New Zealand. Ko, earlier in the round, popping some grapes, said to her caddy that she likes to eat during a round of golf, as an empty stomach, for her, can be prey to butterflies.
In what is without doubt the golf story of the year – and one of the great sporting victories in recent memory – the kid betrayed no nerves at all as she booked a fantastic, historic and resoundingly decisive victory in a national championship halfway around the world from her home in Auckland.
He goes on from there and it makes for a fun read of an impressive victory.
LPGA correspondent Beth Ann Baldry for Golfweek:
Lydia Ko went on Golf Channel after her historic victory and said she’d like to have the winner’s check so could buy a dog and give money to the poor. And she said it in that darling New Zealand accent. Could she be more impressive?
Her new nickname should be “Knockout.” As in, Ladies of the LPGA, you’ve just been KO’d.
Ko won the New South Wales Open in January when she was 14. Here was the post from back then and a game story link by Patrick McKendry provided by Colin.
Randall Mell on the historic nature of the victory as well as Ko's matter-of-fact answers.
With the FedEx Cup playoffs off to a start this weekend, World Golf Hall of Fame officials weren’t calling PGA Tour officials at Bethpage Black Sunday for mementos to put on display. Instead, they were calling Vancouver Golf Club. They were looking for some keepsake from Ko to commemorate the victory in one of their exhibits.
Ko stole the show in golf Sunday. She is so young she can’t say watching Tiger Woods win the Masters in a rout in 1997 inspired her. She was born 11 days after Woods won.
Asked if she wore “power” red Sunday to emulate Woods, Ko shook her head no.
“It’s just another color,” she said.
Brian Alexander picked up Ko’s bag for the week to have some fun. A senior champion as a member at Vancouver Golf Club, Alexander volunteered when Ko needed somebody to tote her bag. He’s a 63-year-old real-estate developer.
John Strege on the event overshadowing the "playoffs" and the many reactions from the LPGA community, including her "older" competitors.
"This is making me feel old," Jiyai Shin, one of those in pursuit at the outset of the final round, told the Golf Channel in the midst of Ko's back-nine assault that included four consecutive birdies and five in a six-hole stretch.
Shin, it should be noted, is 24.
Greg Stutchbury of Reuters talks to New Zealand Golf chief executive Dean Murphy who says Ko's win was easily the biggest day for women's golf in that country.
LPGA notes from the historic day center mostly around Ko and include the transcript of her final round interview.
A few of the key facts:
Becomes the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history, eclipsing the previous mark set by Lexi Thompson, who was 16 years, 8 months, 8 days when she won the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic
Youngest winners in LPGA Tour history
Lydia Ko, 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open (72-hole event) at 15 years, 4 months, 2 days
Lexi Thompson, 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic (72-hole event) at 16 years, 8 months, 8 days
Marlene Hagge, 1952 Sarasota Open (18-hole event) at 18 years, 14 days
Marlene Hagge, 1952 Bakersfield Open (18-hole event) at 18 years, 2 months, 15 days
Paula Creamer, 2005 Sybase Classic presented by Lincoln Mercury (72-hole event) at 18 years, 9 month, 17 days
Morgan Pressel, 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship (72-hole event) at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days
Paula Creamer, 2005 Evian Masters (72-hole event), 18 years, 11 months, 18 days
Becomes the fifth amateur in LPGA Tour history to win an official event and the first in more than 40 years
Amateurs to win an LPGA event
Lydia Ko, 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open
JoAnne Carner, 1969 Burdine’s Invitational
Catherine LaCoste, 1967 U.S. Women’s Open Pat O’Sullivan, 1951 Titleholders Championship
Polly Riley, 1950 Tampa Open
Golf Channel's recap of the win with fellow New Zealander Frank Nobilo's analysis:
Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 11:38 PM
Reader Comments (48)
Still, it will be interesting to see how the kid develops. The last phenom didn't even make the cut. But she doesn't have to when she gets millions a year just for Being Michelle. If Lydia stays amateur, she might be ready for the Tour when she is old enough to join it.
And Ghillie - maybe she is just really really good. Why denigrate the rest when someone very special comes along? A young American lad lead the US Open after two rounds. Does that make the US PGA Tour "weak"?
As these youngsters get better, the media will get even more arcane...pretty soon they will be going to hours and minutes on their birth certs..."Newest Star Eclipses Record... At 14 years, 3 months, 2 days, 10 hours, 5 minutes and 32 seconds,
Betty Boop Jr. Beats Old Record by an Astonishing 14 seconds"...jeesh.
Very well done to Lydia Ko. And, I loved her response to the red shirt thing.
Tiger, it's ok to put that shirt away now: it's "just another colour".
NZ does not have "some of the toughest immigration laws in the world". There are plenty (the US being one) who are far tougher than NZ.
Congrats to this delightful young lady, who moved me with her wish for a dog, the problem being the need for it's care when they travel. She was wonderful, but extremely flatlined for a teen. THAT was a bit scary, IMO.
Bottom line: I'm with Ghillie; even though this is a great story, it only amplifies the undeniable fact that this tour is pretty thin on talent.
That completely destroys the Lexi Thomson narrative. "2nd youngest to ever win on the LPGA" just does not have any punch to it. She's going to have to start churning out a consistent rate of wins to get the attention back.
This is ridiculous.
Way to go Lydia Ko!
To diss the talent is a misguided effort... the talent is there, but the LACK OF CONSISTANT EVENTS CREATES THE PROBLEM. Bank on it. IF the women had more events, and weeks of events in a row, then we would see the talent emerge.
I could mention Gene Littler, too, but I don't remember him very well...
Think Annika will call her out for going to college instead of playing the LPGA Tour full-time?!?
Let's hope that she stays the way she is in all respects for at least another three years. If Michelle is her idol, then I hope she learns from her mistakes and stays an amateur for as long as possible. She will only be better for the experience if she does.
The Canadian Open lost its original sponsor because of laws against tobacco companies sponsoring sporting events.
Rather that risk losing a major or a year or two, the Weetabix Women's Open was announced as its replacement.
So, does Lydia Ko get the typical exemptions and a card that comes along with winning an LPGA Tour event? If she petitioned Whan for an age exemption so as to become a Tour member for 2013 wonder what he'd do?
She does not get a card. It is the Ladies PROFESSIONAL Golf Association Tour. Membership would constitute a loss of amateur status as the LPGA would begin to make pension contributions based on performance - which is the same as earning money for performance even if she refused the check at the end of the week. There are also other health and insurance benefits for members that have a financial value beyond the limits placed on an amateur.
During the emergence of Michelle Wie, I broke the habit of a lifetime and tuned into some LPGA Sunday afternoons, mostly to see WIe and what the fuss was all about. Happened to catch her at not her best, to put it politely -- if there was a clump of trees anywhere, she found it, and had trouble in her extrication processes. But I was much more surprised by the calibre of the golf in general -- slow, clumsy (sprayed shots by just about everyone, lousy putting). After an hour I had seen the featured groups through about a hole and a half -- granted, as a la Tiger, there were constant diversions to non-contender Wie's misadventures in forestry. But it was the ultimate off-putting experience.
I know there are some exceptional golfers on the Tour, and all of them are well beyond average -- but collectively, they do not seem to present an exciting, high-voltage competition. As a spectator sport, it is not in the same ballpark as men's golf. So it is not surprising that a kid with high talent can clean their clocks from time to time. What remains to be seen is if she will grow into the unspectacular level at which the Tour seems to operate, or will continue to dazzle. Good luck to her. And may she not make Michelle Wie's mistakes, which in hindsight look monumental.
As for Mickelson and Verplank -- they may have been amateur, but I suspect they were a little closer to adult. Perhaps a youngster will challenge soon -- heavens, Justin Rose nearly won an Open at 17 -- but with the men, the big boys seem to be able to put the kids in their place -- which is the future -- better than the LPGA.
But how aging it is to find a future golf superstar (all being well) who was born post-Woods! Tempus really fugit...
was very cool that Lewis (#2) was in her group and couldn't hang, but more importantly.. when leaders were charging, she started dropping bombs from everywhere to shut them down
i was in awe...how legends are made..thx for that lydia
Why would the Lydia's deal be any different? Just asking, I certainly don't know the answer.
If I'm not mistaken Phil Mickelson was given status on the PGA Tour as a result of his win at Tuscon when he was still an amateur.
This from his Wiki page: "Mickelson turned pro in 1992 following his graduation. He was able to bypass the Tour's qualifying process (Q-School) because of his 1991 Tucson win, which earned him a two-year exemption."
We need to get to the bottom of this ;-)
PS...update on Stephanie Kono, missed every cut on the LPGA Tour this year, $0.00 in earnings. Probably wishes she'd gone back to UCLA. Too bad Mike Whan and his band of bozo's wouldn't stand up and do the right thing by Stephanie back in December. Lose/lose.
"LBJ can't swim"
.....Lexi Thompson was 16 years old the day the 2012 LPGA Tour season started (now she's 17) and has played 15 of the 18 events this year.
As for Lydia saying she's not turning pro.....her world and the menu of options available to her absolutely exploded yesterday when that last putt went in on the 72nd hole.
Guess who's probably knocking down the door of the Ko family today? Steiney.....and about 50 other agents. So much money is gonna be thrown at her it will make their head spin (the family) and it's highly unlikely that she's simply flying back to New Zealand to resume the quiet life.
JFTR, I've already donned my Nomex suit......I think Lydia Ko should turn pro immediately capitalize on this situation. (this doesn't preclude college, as I've previously stated I think is a good idea)
She's already won the largest women's amateur event in the world and now added one of the handful of very best LPGA Tour events to her win list. Should she turn pro and make the request, I just don't see how the LPGA Tour could deny her a full-time spot for 2013. I bet Whan is thinking "why me" right about now....pretty classy problem to have!
JMO.
(Scott Verplank was in the exact same position and did not turn pro...would take me a few minutes to find the exact quote but he's on record saying if he could get a do-over he would have immediately turned pro)
Do I think that the men's tour is more competitive than the women's? Yes. But your argument isn't strong enough to diminish her achievement. 13-under, and a 3-stroke victory, is pretty impressive.
Call it what you like but this girl is in fact a touring professional and I wish there was some way she could retroactively collect that $300,000 winners check from yesterday. Can you imagine having to watch that pile of dough get split up amongst a group of people you just trounced?