New Zealand teenage golfer Lydia Ko is turning professional.
The world's top-ranked amateur has applied to contest the season-ending CME Group Titleholders tournament in Florida next month from the pro ranks.
Ko's mother, Tina Hyon, told GolfChannel.com that Ko was also considering playing in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, beginning on November 14.
If Ko plays any pro events now, she will play as a pro, Hyon confirmed in an email.
She said the family had officially filed a petition seeking a waiver from the LPGA's tour rule which requires players be at least 18 years old.
Ko became the youngest winner of an LPGA event when she won the Canadian Women's Open last year as a 15-year-old, defending her title with a five-shot win in August this year.
Ko, who turns 17 in April next year, finished second at the Evian Championship in France in mid-September, the year's fifth and final major championship. She returned to Auckland soon after to study for end-of year exams.
She is now ranked fourth in the world, sitting on 7.35 average ranking points. Only Korea's Inbee Park (12.56), Norway's Suzann Pettersen (10.61) and American Stacy Lewis (9.72) have higher rankings.
Ko has already confirmed she will contest the New Zealand Women's Open at Christchurch's Clearwater Golf Club next year.
The co-sanctioned event on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour will be a 54-hole tournament from January 31 to February 2.
Ko won the title by one shot this year to become the youngest winner in the history of the LET at age 15.
Share
