Tour age limit waived for teenager Lydia Ko
LPGA chief Mike Whan says they made an exception for the 16-year-old New Zealander, who has already won the Canadian Open twice
New Zealand’s 16-year-old golfing prodigy Lydia Ko has been granted full membership to the LPGA Tour from the start of the 2014 season after the governing body waived the age limit clause, the tour said on Monday.
Ko, who was born in South Korea and moved to New Zealand when she was six, was the youngest player to win a professional tournament when she clinched the New South Wales Open in Sydney, aged 14.
Her mother Tina confirmed earlier this month that her daughter had asked the LPGA for an exemption. Ko formally announced her decision to turn pro last week via social media.
It is not often that the LPGA welcomes a rookie who is already a back-to-back LPGA Tour champion
The LPGA Tour has an 18-year-old age requirement for membership but commissioner Mike Whan said they had made an exception for Ko.
“After reviewing Lydia Ko’s petition, I have granted her LPGA Tour membership beginning at the start of the next year season,” Whan said. “We are looking forward to having Lydia as a full-time member for the next year season.
“It is not often that the LPGA welcomes a rookie who is already a back-to-back LPGA Tour champion.”
The teenager became the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour when she captured last year’s Canadian Open at the age of 15.