As the entire sports world searches for a solution to Tiger Woods’ golf game a little, seventeen year old has taken another bit of Tiger’s legacy for her own.
With her second place finish at The Coates Golf Championship Lydia Ko has become the youngest golfer, male or female to earn the number one spot in the world rankings.
Tiger was 21 years, 5 months, 16 days when he became the youngest number one ever in 1997. Ko is 17 years, 9 months and 9 days old and wasn’t even aware of her accomplishment until well after her tough finish. 
She had started the day with a two shot lead and extended it to four strokes before Na Yeon Choi caught and passed her to win the LPGA’s inaugural tournament of 2015.
Ko had the tournament in hand until an uncharacteristic double bogey, her only of the tournament, on seventeen that dropped her back into second place. But in her typical nonchalant manner she wasn’t fazed by the meltdown or by the loss.
As she walked off seventeen she smiled and tossed her ball to the fans. This is the same young woman that shrugged her shoulders in disbelief when she drained a 60 foot putt on the fifteenth hole and looked more embarrassed than excited.
While Choi can celebrate her first win in two years Ko gets one heck of a consolation prize. Becoming world number one hadn’t been in her mind at all as she said she was concentrating on winning the tournament.
Reaching number one is a culmination of the amazing past few years for Ko. The ’12 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion became the youngest winner of a professional event at 14years and 9 months when she won in Australia.
She has five LPGA Tour wins and another three worldwide wins. That’s a career for plenty of professionals and this girl is just seventeen.
It’s not only her golf game that is consistent her demeanor is also. She rarely shows emotion and nothing gets her down on the course. And Ko may be the most modest number one in history.
In a short video during the telecast the top LPGA players were asked who they thought would be Player of the Year.
Every one of them selected a few potential candidates including themselves. All except Ko. She left herself off the list.
I would think that becoming the youngest number one ever may give her a good start at becoming the world’s most modest Player of the Year.
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