It was at the 1969 Burdine's Invitational when JoAnne Carner became the last amateur to win an LPGA event. Now, 43 year later, 15-year-old Lydia Ko stands on the 18th green hoisting her first LPGA trophy after making LPGA history at the CN Canadian Women's Open. The New Zealand native not only became the fifth amateur to win an LPGA event, she became the youngest to stand in the winner's circle - a mark Lexi Thompson eclipsed after her win at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic at 16 years old.
Ko led the field for three rounds at the Vancouver Country Club, firing rounds of 68-68-72-67 to end at 13-under par, 3-strokes ahead of runner up Inbee Park. Ko was deemed unreachable in the final round as she carded 7 birdies en route to her first LPGA win.
The 15-year-old boasts an impressive golf resume so far in her career, having won the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur to become the top-ranked amateur in the world. She notches this win in her third appearance on the LPGA Tour, with impressive finishes at the ISPS Handa Australian Open and U.S. Women's Open. This win comes after her first professional win at the New South Wales Open on the Australian LPGA (ALPG) in January.