Lydia Ko becomes youngest LPGA Rookie of the Year

Despite being just 17 years old, Lydia Ko doesn’t seem like a rookie. Maybe that’s because she’s been winning LPGA tournaments since she was a 15-year-old amateur. However, 2014 marked the Kiwi teen’s first pro campaign, and her two-win season was good enough to clinch the LPGA Tour’s rookie of the year award.

“It’s really been a dream rookie season for me,” said Ko. “I learned so much and am glad to have
achieved some of my goals along the way. It’s an honor to have my name now etched alongside such
amazing players and legends of the game on the list of Rookie of the Year winners.”

Ko locked up the points-based honor with three events left in the season, before the Mizuno Classic in Japan. In addition to the two wins, Ko had a pair of runner-up finishes and nine more top-10 finishes in 24 starts. She’s racked up some $ 1.5 million in earnings, sits third on the LPGA Tour’s Race to CME Globe points race and is third in the Rolex Rankings.

Laura Baugh previously held the record as youngest rookies of the year when she won the award at 18 years of age in 1973.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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