LOS ANGELES: New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko has been granted full membership on the US LPGA Tour starting in 2014, commissioner Michael Whan said yesterday.
Whan said he had reviewed Ko’s petition and agreed to waive the usual requirement that players must be 18 years old to gain full member status.
“This decision ensures that Lydia can attend all of our LPGA rookie development sessions that take place in the early part of the year,” Whan said.
The 16-year-old sensation has won the Canadian Women’s Open each of the past two seasons, her victory in 2012 making her the youngest winner in LPGA history at 15 years, four months and two days old.
Ko, who announced her decision to turn pro last month, has already won four professional events as an amateur.
In addition to her Canadian women’s Open titles she won the 2013 New Zealand Women’s Open as well as the 2012 Bing Lee Samsung NSW Open. AFP
