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Korean-born teenager becomes youngest LPGA winner

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Korean-born teenager Lydia Ko became the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour Sunday in Canada.

At the Vancouver Golf Club, Ko, who now resides in New Zealand, captured the CN Canadian Women's Open by three shots over South Korean Park In-bee.

Ko, 15, shot a five-under 67 in the final round for a 72-hole total of 13-under. This was Ko's third LPGA tournament.

American Lexi Thompson had previously been the youngest LPGA winner, taking the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic at 16 years, seven months and eight days. Ko is 15 years, four months and two days old.

Ko took a one-shot lead into Sunday and pulled away with five birdies on the first six holes on the back nine. Her 67 in the final round tied two others for the best score of the day.

"It means a lot to me. It's a professional event and I just came to make the cut and play my best," Ko said. "I won and I'm going to get the trophy, and it's amazing."

Ko is still an amateur and is ineligible to collect the winner's check of $300,000. Park, the runner-up, instead took home the money. Ko came into the Canadian Women's Open as the world's top-ranked female amateur golfer.

Park, who shot 69 in the final round, was one of five South Koreans in the top-10. Choi Na-yeon, Shin Ji-yai and Chella Choi shared the third place at eight-under. Kang Hae-ji shot a 67 in the final round to finish in the sole possession of eighth at six-under.

Ko, who moved to New Zealand with her family at age six, is the fifth amateur to win on the LPGA Tour and the first since JoAnne Carner in 1969.

In January, Ko won the New South Wales Open in Australia, about three months before her 15th birthday, to become the youngest player, male or female, to win a professional golf event. That record was broken by Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson in June.

Ko also won the U.S. Women's Amateur in Cleveland two weeks ago.

She said she doesn't have immediate plans to turn professional, adding that she wants to finish high school and play some collegiate golf first. (Yonhap)