14-year-old becomes youngest winner of a professional tournament

SYDNEY – Fourteen-year-old New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko has become the youngest-ever winner of a professional golf tournament, taking the women’s New South Wales Open on Sunday by four shots.

Ko, the world’s top amateur, beat the men’s mark of Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa, who won his first professional title aged 15 years, eight months, and the women’s mark of Australian Amy Yang who won the Australian Ladies Masters aged 16 years, 192 days.

The Korean-born New Zealander shot a 3-under par final round of 69 to finish 14-under for the tournament, four strokes clear of Becky Morgan of Wales.

Ko came close to winning the same tournament last year, aged 13, missing a putt on the last green to lose by one shot.