Dame Lydia Ko DNZM (born 24 April 1997) is a New Zealand professional golfer and the reigning Olympic champion.

[8] In both 2014[9] and 2015,[10] Ko was named in the EspnW Impact25 list of 25 athletes and influencers who have made the greatest impact for women in sports.

[12] In November 2022, Ko won the CME Group Tour Championship with its $2 million first-place prize, completing the LPGA Tour season with three wins, the LPGA Player of the Year award for the second time in her career, the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, the 2022 leading money winner,[13] and rose to number two in the Women's World Golf Rankings.

In August 2024, she won the gold medal in women's golf at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, a victory that qualified her for the LPGA Hall of Fame, the 35th and youngest inductee at age 27.

[15] Ko was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 New Year Honours, for services to golf.

The previous youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event was Japan's Ryo Ishikawa at age 15 years and 8 months.

[29][30] On 26 August 2012, at the age of 15 years and four months, Ko became the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Tour event, winning with a score of 275 (−13) at the CN Canadian Women's Open.

[31] The 2012 CN Canadian Women's Open was a 72-hole event with a purse of $2 million; the winner's share of $300,000 went to runner-up Inbee Park who was three strokes back.

[32] Ko successfully defended her win at the 2013 CN Canadian Open, shooting 265 (−15) for a five-stroke victory over Karine Icher at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton.

After finishing runner-up to Suzann Pettersen in The Evian Championship in France, Ko announced that she would turn pro in 2014.

1 ranked woman professional golfer after a runner-up finish at the Coates Golf Championship, overtaking Inbee Park.

On 22 February 2015, Ko won her first event of the 2015 LPGA Tour season at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open.

The following week, Ko returned home and won her tenth professional championship at the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open.

On 23 August 2015, Ko won her third Canadian Pacific Women's Open in a playoff against Stacy Lewis.

Ko's 2016 started where she left off from 2015, winning the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open for a third time in four years by two shots from Choi Hye-jin, Felicity Johnson, and Nanna Koerstz Madsen.

Just 11 minutes before she was due to tee off for her final round, an earthquake struck, with Ko vowing to donate her prize money to charity to help those affected.

[48] On the LPGA Tour, Ko won the Kia Classic in March with a four-shot margin over Inbee Park, and the following week, on 3 April, she made it consecutive major titles with a one-shot victory at the ANA Inspiration.

1 in the world as she became the youngest double major winner in the history of the game since Young Tom Morris at the 1869 Open Championship.

In August, she represented New Zealand at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, where she won the silver medal.

She started her 2017 LPGA Tour season at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open where she finished tied for 46th.

She then had three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Honda LPGA Thailand, HSBC Women's Champions, and the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

[53] Ko entered 26 tournaments, won once, at the LPGA Mediheal Championship, and finished in the top-10 ten times.

In August, Ko represented New Zealand at the covid-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal.

[56] She claimed her 18th LPGA win on 23 October, at the BMW Ladies Championship in Wonju, located approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of her Seoul, South Korea birthplace.

[57] In November, Ko won the CME Group Tour Championship and the record $2 million first prize.

With the win, Ko won the season's money title, Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average and the LPGA Player of the Year for 2022.

[59] In December, Ko won the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational mixed team tournament with playing partner Jason Day.

[60] In January, Ko secured her first LPGA Tour title since 2022 by winning the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

[14][62] Two weeks later, Ko claimed the AIG Women's Open at Old Course at St Andrews, her third major championship.

LPGA Tour playoff record (5–3) 4 Ko won the 2013 ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open as an amateur.