Getting Ready For A KO

Female professionals around the world should start saving their pennies as rumour has it that wunderkid, Lydia Ko is about to turn pro.

According to her mother, “if she plays any pro events now, she will play as a pro,” she said in an email to the Golf Channel.

The news is something of a surprise as the 16-year-old New Zealander is technically not allowed to play as a professional on the LPGA Tour until she is 18.

Her family has been petitioning against this and, given the teenager’s form, you can understand why.

Since pegging it up against the pros for the first time in 2010, Ko has played in 25 events, making the cut 25 times and winning four of those events.

As her amateur status forbids her from collecting prize money, this means she has left £1.41m in the pot, £300,000 of that in her last two weeks. Just think of the bills that would’ve paid!

It has not yet been confirmed if the LPGA will be making a special dispensation for Ko, although they have set a precedent in the past for players like Michelle Wie and Lexi Thompson.

New Zealand Golf high-performance manager Gregg Thorpe said the decision "hasn’t been done yet. She’s still an amateur now. It’s not as simple as her [her mother] just making a statement."

GolfChannel.com claim Ko will play in the LPGA tour’s season ending CME Group Titleholders in Naples and she’s also considering a possible spot in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico, the week before.