Lydia Ko Wiki, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth

Lydia Ko is a New Zealand professional golfer and the reigning Olympic champion, best known for becoming the youngest player of either gender to reach world No. 1 in professional golf.

She turned professional in 2013 and went on to win three major championships, 23 LPGA Tour titles, and a full set of Olympic medals across three consecutive Games.

Who is Lydia Ko?

Dame Lydia Ko DNZM, full name Bo-Gyung “Lydia” Ko, is a Korean-born New Zealand professional golfer and member of the LPGA Hall of Fame.

She reached world No. 1 on 2 February 2015 at just 17 years, 9 months, and 9 days old, making her the youngest player of either gender in professional golf history to hold that ranking.

Ko holds three LPGA major titles: the 2015 Evian Championship, the 2016 ANA Inspiration (now the Chevron Championship), and the 2024 AIG Women’s British Open at St Andrews.

Her Paris 2024 Olympic gold medal, combined with a silver in Rio 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo 2020, made her the first golfer in the modern era to win medals of all three colours at three different Olympics.

That Paris gold also delivered the final points she needed for LPGA Hall of Fame induction, making her the youngest inductee in the Hall’s history at age 27.

She earned over $20 million in career prize money on the LPGA Tour.

In the 2025 New Year Honours, Ko was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to golf, becoming one of the youngest dames of the modern era.

She lives in Orlando, Florida, and continues to compete on the LPGA Tour.

Early Life of Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko was born on 24 April 1997 in Seoul, South Korea. Her family relocated to New Zealand when she was around four years old, and she grew up there throughout her childhood.

She first picked up a golf club at the age of five. Her talent appeared early and her family gave strong backing to her development from the start.

At 14, she became the youngest golfer ever to win a professional event by winning the 2012 New South Wales Open on the Australian Ladies PGA Tour, still an amateur at the time.

Her amateur record was extraordinary: she played in 25 professional tournaments as an amateur without missing a single cut.

She won the New Zealand Women’s Open as an amateur and became the first amateur in LPGA Tour history to win two events on that tour.

Her world amateur ranking stayed at No. 1 for over two years.

Lydia Ko Age / Birthday

Lydia Ko is 29 years old as of 2026, born on 24 April 1997. Her zodiac sign is Taurus, a sign often associated with determination and a grounded competitive drive.

She remains one of the most active and decorated players on the LPGA Tour heading into the latter part of her twenties.

Lydia Ko Ethnicity and Nationality

Ko holds New Zealand nationality and competes for New Zealand internationally.

Her ethnic background is Korean, having been born in Seoul to Korean parents before her family emigrated.

Her connection to both countries runs deep: she studied at Korea University in Seoul and won her first Olympic gold on French soil with support from family linked to South Korea’s Hyundai Group.

Lydia Ko Height and Weight

Lydia Ko stands at 5 feet 5 inches, which is 165 centimetres or 1.65 metres. Her weight is not publicly confirmed.

She maintains the lean, athletic build typical of elite tour professionals.

Lydia Ko Education

Ko attended Mairangi Bay Primary School and then Pinehurst School in Albany, New Zealand.

After turning professional in 2013, she continued her studies through correspondence classes with Pinehurst while on tour.

She also enrolled to study psychology extramurally with Korea University in Seoul, fitting her coursework around her competitive schedule.

Lydia Ko Career

Lydia Ko’s career spans more than a decade of sustained excellence across amateur and professional golf.

She moved from child prodigy to multiple major champion and Olympic gold medallist, with her record encompassing nearly every milestone the women’s game has to offer.

Amateur Dominance and Early Pro Years (2012–2015)

Ko first drew global attention in August 2012 when she won the CN Canadian Women’s Open at age 15 years and 4 months, becoming the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history at the time.

That victory came while she was still an amateur. She turned professional in October 2013 at age 16 and signed with IMG Worldwide for management and marketing representation.

In her first full professional season in 2014, she won three LPGA Tour events and claimed the LPGA Rookie of the Year award.

She also won the inaugural Race to the CME Globe, the tour’s season-long points competition.

In 2015, Ko dominated the LPGA Tour. She reached world No. 1 in February, then won the Evian Championship in France in September, becoming the youngest woman ever to win a major championship at 18 years, 4 months, and 20 days.

Her closing round of 63 at Evian set a record for the lowest final round in women’s major history.

By October 2015, she had become the youngest player ever to win 10 events on a major tour, doing so at age 18.

She also won the LPGA Player of the Year award in 2015, the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, the Race to the CME Globe for a second consecutive year, and the ESPY Award for Best Female Golfer.

Olympic Medals and Major No. 2 (2016–2021)

Ko won her second major at the 2016 ANA Inspiration, making her the youngest player to win two women’s major championships.

That same year, she won a silver medal for New Zealand at the Rio 2016 Olympics, and took home the Rolex Annika Major Award and the ESPY Award for Best Female Golfer for a second year running.

Her ranking dropped during a difficult stretch from 2017 to 2020. Despite entering over 20 events each year in 2018 and 2019, she did not claim a championship win during that period.

Yet she kept competing consistently, and in August 2021 she won the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, ending a title drought of nearly three years.

That same month, she won a bronze medal for New Zealand at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021.

Return to the Top and Paris Gold (2022–Present)

In 2022, Ko delivered one of the most complete seasons in recent LPGA history. She won three events, including the CME Group Tour Championship in November with a then-record first-place cheque of $2 million.

That victory pushed her over $4.3 million in season earnings, the most on the LPGA Tour that year and just shy of the all-time seasonal record.

She claimed the LPGA Player of the Year award, the Vare Trophy for best scoring average, and rose to world No. 1 for the third time in her career.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ko carried the lead into the final round and shot a 71 to finish at 10 under par, two shots clear of Germany’s Esther Henseleit.

The gold medal completed her set of Olympic medals across all three colours, a feat no other golfer in the modern era had achieved.

Weeks later, she won the AIG Women’s British Open at St Andrews for her third major championship.

In 2025, Ko won the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, adding to her total of professional wins on the LPGA Tour.

She appeared on the cover of Vogue Korea’s March 2025 issue, one of 22 women featured in its Women and Work edition.

Lydia Ko Awards and Recognition

Ko’s trophy cabinet covers individual, annual, and lifetime honours across her career.

Lydia Ko Brand Endorsements

Ko has held a Rolex testimonee partnership since 2014, the same year she joined the LPGA Tour full time.

Rolex has been a Major Partner of the Evian Championship for over 25 years, the same event where Ko won her first major in 2015.

She has also worked with Adidas and Callaway Golf during her career. In early 2025, she appeared on the cover of Vogue Korea, reflecting the broadening of her public profile beyond the golf course.

Lydia Ko Husband

Lydia Ko is married to Chung Jun, a South Korean businessman whose father, Chung Tae-young, is vice chairman of Hyundai Card, a major credit card subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group.

Ko and Chung began dating in 2021 after being set up on a blind date through mutual friends.

Ko announced the engagement in August 2022. The couple married on 30 December 2022 at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, South Korea.

Ko later revealed that she proposed first, writing “Will you marry me?” on golf balls, and that Chung then proposed again during their engagement photo session, catching her by surprise.

Chung studied philosophy and data science at Claremont McKenna College in California, and reportedly works for a Hyundai Group office in San Francisco.

He was present at the CME Group Tour Championship in November 2022, cheering Ko on as she won the event and the season’s biggest prize.

Lydia Ko Net Worth

Lydia Ko’s estimated net worth is $25 million as of 2026. Her wealth comes primarily from LPGA Tour prize money, long-term brand partnerships, and endorsement deals.

Prize Money

Ko has earned over $20 million in career prize money on the LPGA Tour alone. Her 2022 season was particularly lucrative: she finished the year with over $4.3 million in LPGA earnings, the tour’s leading total that season.

The CME Group Tour Championship win alone brought in a record $2 million first-place payment, the largest winner’s cheque in women’s golf history at the time.

Endorsements

Her Rolex partnership, in place since 2014, sits at the centre of her endorsement portfolio. She has also worked with Adidas and Callaway Golf during her career.

As one of the most globally recognised players in women’s golf, Ko commands a premium in the endorsement market across sports, lifestyle, and luxury brands.

Lydia Ko Social Media

Ko is active on Instagram, where she posts updates on her golf season, personal milestones, and family moments.

Her handle is @lydiakoofficial. She also maintains a presence on X (Twitter).

Conclusion

Lydia Ko spent more than a decade assembling a record that covers every major individual prize in women’s golf: three majors, two LPGA Player of the Year awards, a World No. 1 ranking across three separate stretches, and an Olympic medal in every colour.

Her 2025 Dame title from New Zealand confirmed the scale of what she built across those years.