Teen golfer Lydia Ko splits with coach of 11 years

Lydia Ko of New Zealand plays a shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the CME Group Titleholders at Tiburon Golf Club on November 22, 2013 in Naples, Florida. AFP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Teenage golf star Lydia Ko of New Zealand has split with the only coach she has had since she took up the sport as a 5-year-old, just weeks after turning professional.

Guy Wilson, who has worked with the 16-year-old Ko for 11 years, issued a statement saying the two have parted ways.

“While I’m incredibly disappointed that our 11-year partnership is over, I respect Lydia and her team’s decision,” Wilson said.

Ko has not publicly commented on the decision.

Ko won five professional tournaments — four as an amateur — while coached by Wilson, who said it had “been an honor to help develop Lydia into the No. 4 golfer in the world.”

“When I first met her the golf clubs were taller than she was and she didn’t know the first thing about a driver or a putter but now she has one of the most envied swings in the women’s golf world,” Wilson said. “I wish Lydia all the best and will watch proudly as she embarks on what I’m sure will be a hugely successful professional golfing career.”

Ko recently signed with the management company IMG and has already been given lucrative sponsorship deals.