"I would say it's sweet 17" – When Lydia Ko made her birthday unforgettable with her first LPGA winner's paycheck

Lydia Ko made her birthday unforgettable with her first LPGA win at the 2014 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. She defeated Stacy Lewis and Jenny Shin with a chip on the last hole of the fourth round. In the same week, she also turned 17 and captured her first LPGA triumph of her pro career.

Ko won the tournament with a score of 12 under 276 in total. She scored 68 in the first round with two birdies on the front nine and four on the back nine. She shot 71 in the second round with three birdies on the front nine and another on hole 17.

Ko scored 68 in the third round with five birdies and 69 in the fourth round with six birdies. Following the tournament, she spoke to USA Today and said:

“Normally they would say sweet 16, but I would say it's sweet 17…I don't think I could have any better birthday week. Tears nearly ran down my face. You may lose friends, but you're always going to have your parents…I try to make myself not cry of happiness, but it was coming to that point.”

Lydia Ko earned $270,000 on the final day of the event.

How did Lydia Ko perform in the first two rounds of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions?

Lydia Ko is in the 17th position on the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions leaderboard with a score of 4 under. She shot 73 in the first round with two birdies and 67 in the second round with five birdies. Following the round, she joined a press conference to reflect on her experience of Day 2. She said:

“I hit the ball pretty well and I putted a lot better than yesterday. You know, I was a little bit worried about my long game going into the round yesterday but it was a lot better than I anticipated. I gave myself a lot of good looks for birdies and I was missing it on the side that I normally don't miss it, so I was kind of confused," via ASAP Sports.

She added, “I had a slight equipment change. It was the same putter but a different of the same putter yesterday. I quickly realized that I shouldn't abandon the putter that was so good to me last year, so I brought that back today. Even though I felt like a few more putts could have dropped, I still putted a lot better. All I can do is just put a good stroke on it. That was most improved.”

Lydia Ko started at 9:38 am ET on the first tee for the third round of the 2025 HGV Tournament of Champions.