Teenage golf sensation Lydia Ko is showing an ability to stay grounded in the face of the attention she is attracting, saying she is just doing what she loves.
The 16-year-old former world No.1 amateur is about to make her debut as a professional in the LPGA's season-ending Titleholders tournament beginning in Florida on Friday.
Her feats in her short career so far have brought her plenty of accolades, including being named by Time Magazine this month as No.2 on its list of the 16 most influential teens of 2013, behind singer Lorde.
Ko says some people's response to the list is that "you got pipped" by her fellow New Zealander.
"I don't even know why I'm there, to be honest," she told a news conference on Thursday.
"I don't know what I've really done. I've just done the things I love to do."
It's what Ko has achieved that convinced the LPGA to exempt her from the rule that requires players to be 18 to be on the tour.
The Auckland schoolgirl has already won twice on the tour with successive victories in the Canadian Open.
In all, she entered 25 professional tournaments as an amateur, for four wins and no missed cuts, and had to forgo more than $US1.2 million ($NZ1.4 million) in prize money.
Ko said her move to the paid ranks really hit home when she was coming through US immigration and told the official that the purpose of her trip was to play golf.
"The guy said 'Oh, are you a professional?' I was, like, 'Yeah, I am, just turned professional'.
"That was the biggest thing. I never said that before."
Ko goes into the Titleholders as the world No.5.
She has been grouped with Americans Michelle Wie and Jessica Korda for the first two rounds at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples.
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