Ko has never missed a cut in 42 career LPGA starts, with finishes in the top 10 52 percent of the time and in the top 25 for 75 percent of her starts. Her worst career finish was a T61 at this year’s Kia Classic where she shot a final-round 78.
With five career victories at age 17 and still seeking her first major championship, Ko is well within reach of these historic marks (Note: She has 17 months to surpass the majors mark):
Youngest to reach 10 wins
Nancy Lopez, 22 years, 2 months, 5 days, 1979 Sunstar Classic
Yani Tseng, 22 years, 6 months, 8 days, 2011 RICOH Women’s British Open
Marlene Hagge, 22 years, 6 months, 10 days, 1956 Denver Open.
Youngest to win a major
Morgan Pressel, 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days
Comparing Lewis to predecessors
Stacy Lewis had her best season, winning the Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy (69.68) and LPGA Official Money List titles ($2,5390,039). She became the first American to take home all three awards since Betsy King in 1993 and the first player since Yani Tseng in 2011. King had a stroke average of 70.850 and won $595,992 in 1993. Tseng won $2,921,713 (second all-time) and had a stroke average of 69.66 in 2011.
Crowded money and stroke highs
The earnings and stroke average categories had an all-time number of players total benchmark figures.
Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park and Lydia Ko all made more than $2 million and Michelle Wie was within $75,00 of being a fourth $2-million earner.
Four players finished the season with sub-70 stroke averages, led by Vare Trophy winner Stacy Lewis (69.53), Inbee Park (69.68), Michelle Wie (69.81) and So Yeon Ryu (69.9). Lydia Ko finished at 70.079. She needed to finish nine strokes lower in the CME Group Tour Championship to break that mark (finished at 10-under). The previous record of three sub-70 scoring averages was established last year by Lewis, Suzann Pettersen and Park.
The age and country game
Age: There were more winners in their teens (six) than those in their 30s (five) in 2014. The average age of winners this season was 25 and only four players older than age 30 won (39-year-old Karrie Webb with two wins and Mo Martin, Lee-Ann Pace and Christina Kim with one apiece).
Countries: American golfers won 11 of the first 17 events on the LPGA this season and South Korean golfers won nine of 12 tournaments late in the season. The season totals for winners – U.S. 13, South Korea 11, New Zealand 3, Australia 2, Sweden 2, China 1 and South Africa 1.
Here’s a look at the winners breakdown this season:
| Tournament | Winner | Age (Yrs-Mos.-Days) | From |
| Pure Silk Bahamas | Jessica Korda | 20-10-30 | U.S. |
| ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open | Karrie Webb | 39-1-25 | Australia |
| Honda LPGA Thailand | Anna Nordqvist | 26-8-13 | Sweden |
| HSBC Women’s Champions | Paula Creamer | 27-6-28 | U.S. |
| JTBC Founders Cup | Karrie Webb | 39-3-2 | Australia |
| Kia Classic | Anna Nordqvist | 26-9-20 | Sweden |
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | Lexi Thompson | 19-1-27 | U.S. |
| LPGA Lotte Championship | Michelle Wie | 24-6-9 | U.S. |
| Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic | Lydia Ko | 17-0-3 | New Zealand |
| North Texas LPGA Shootout | Stacy Lewis | 29-2-18 | U.S. |
| Kingsmill Championship | Lizette Salas | 24-10-1 | U.S. |
| Airbus LPGA Classic | Jessica Korda | 21-2-28 | U.S. |
| ShopRite LPGA Classic | Stacy Lewis | 29-3-16 | U.S. |
| Manulife Financial LPGA Classic | Inbee Park | 25-10-27 | South Korea |
| U.S. Women’s Open | Michelle Wie | 24-8-11 | U.S. |
| Walmart NW Arkansas Championship | Stacy Lewis | 29-4-13 | U.S. |
| RICOH Women’s British Open | Mo Martin | 31-9-5 | U.S. |
| Marathon Classic | Lydia Ko | 17-2-26 | New Zealand |
| Meijer LPGA Classic | Mirim Lee | 23-9-17 | South Korea |
| Wegmans LPGA Championship | Inbee Park | 26-1-5 | South Korea |
| Canadian Pacific Women’s Open | So Yeon Ryu | 24-1-26 | South Korea |
| Portland Classic | Austin Ernst | 22-7-0 | U.S. |
| The Evian Championship | Hyo Joo Kim | 19-2-0 | South Korea |
| Yokohama Tire Classic | M.J. Hur | 24-10-13 | South Korea |
| Reignwood LPGA Classic | Mirim Lee | 23-11-10 | South Korea |
| Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia | Shanshan Feng | 25-2-7 | China |
| LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship | Kyu-Jung Baek | 19-0-4 | South Korea |
| Blue Bay Classic | Lee-Ann Pace | 33-8-11 | South Africa |
| Fubon LPGA Taiwan | Inbee Park | 26-3-21 | South Korea |
| Mizuno Classic | Mi Hyang Lee | 21-7-10 | South Korea |
| Lorena Ochoa Invitational | Christina Kim | 30-8-1 | U.S. |
| CME Group Tour Championship | Lydia Ko | 17-6-30 | New Zealand |
Double Eagle Record
There were four double eagles this season, establishing a new one-season LPGA mark. The previous high was three, set up 1993. There have been 35 double eagles since Marilynn Smith made the first recorded albatross in the LPGA record book at the 1971 Lady Carling Open. This year’s double eagles included Joanna Klatten, Kingsmill Championship, final round, 15th hole; Karine Icher, ShopRite LPGA Classic, third round, third hole; Vikki Laing, RICOH Women’s British Open, second round, 17th hole; and Lexi Thompson, Lorena Ochoa Invitational, final round, second hole. In comparison, there were only two double eagles on the 2014 PGA Tour.
Hole In One Alert
There were 31 holes in one in 2014, three coming the first week of the season at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic and the last two by Danielle Kang, who won cars with both aces. Kang had a record-tying three aces on the season.
Karine Icher and Joanna Klatten, who made double eagles during the season, also had aces. Icher made the first ace of the season.
In comparison, there were only 17 hole-in-ones on the 2014 PGA Tour.
The Thompson family in 2015
Next year will be a big professional golf season for the Thompsons. Lexi will be the defending champion at the ANA Inspiration (formerly Kraft Nabisco) and older brothers Nicholas and Curtis are set for the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour, respectively. Nicholas is coming off a T9 finish at the OHL Classic and has placed in the top 35 at four consecutive events early in the 2014-14 PGA Tour season. Curtis shot a final-nine 32 last week at the second stage of the Web.com Qualifying Tournament to make the final stage on the number. He turned pro this summer and is assured of at least conditional status on the Web.com Tour in 2015.
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