‘Awesome’ Ko on top of the world

THE legend of Lydia rolls on.

Following her breakout year on the professional women’s golf circuit, Lydia Ko has claimed yet another accolade – the youngest golfer to be ranked world No 1, male or female.

The Auckland prodigy claimed the ranking aged 17 years, nine months and seven days – following a second place finish at the Coates Golf Championship in Florida yesterday.

Ko took the record for the youngest No 1 from Tiger Woods, who was 21 when he first hit the top ranking in 1997.

Despite disappointment with finishing second, Ko said her new title meant she had a great outcome at the end of the day.

‘‘There was obviously a loss, but there was a huge positive, too. That’s pretty awesome.

‘‘I didn’t really know what I needed to do to get in that position. All I was focused on was trying to play my best out here. So it’s a huge honour to be in that ranking.’’

New Zealand Golf chief executive Dean Murphy had been texting Ko after her win.

‘‘Lydia’s been breaking records and doing great things for years. This is another great milestone and keeps her in the spotlight.’’

He said she had a busy few weeks ahead with LPGA tournaments in the Bahamas and Australia, before returning home at the end of the month for the NZ Open at Clearwater in Christchurch.

‘‘I’m going to have to think about crowd control now, because this will bring a lot more people out to see her.’’

While there would be a lot of expectations on her, Murphy said she was ‘‘fizzing about coming home to play in her own backyard’’.

Ko’s coach David Leadbetter said his star pupil would rather have won the tournament, but she did appreciate being the youngest to hold the No 1 title.

‘‘I’m not sure the No 1 thing has really sunk in yet,’’ he said.

While Ko had plenty of her own celebrating to do, she also prompted a different kind back in Auckland for former coach Guy Wilson.

He made a bet with Ko that he would propose to partner Abby Scott, a TVNZ reporter, if Ko became world No 1.

So yesterday he fulfilled the wager, and Scott said yes.

Ko, whose earnings at the end of last year were $2,193,620, was quick to react to the engagement, tweeting her congratulations to the couple.

There was obviously a loss, but there was a huge positive too.’

New world No 1 Lydia Ko