By Jacob Brown
Lydia Ko played the round of her life to win the Evian Championship in France today and become the youngest woman ever to win a major.
She also won $770,000 for her week's work. And if you're wondering, to earn that much, someone earning the average Kiwi wage of just over $57,000 would have to work for 13-and-a-half years.
Ko's expression said it all when she won, but she didn't take all the credit; she also claimed some help from the crowd, particularly from one little boy.
"Pretty much after every hole he said, 'Hey, good job, you can do it,' and gave me a high-five, and that pumped me up because it felt like it wasn't only me that was out there; it was a team thing," says Ko.
It's an achievement Ko can add to a growing list of golfing milestones, including becoming the youngest winner of the LPGA Tour in 2012, aged just 15.
One man who was with her for many of those was former coach Guy Wilson. "It was good to get one of these wins because these are one of the big ones. To be the youngest-ever to win a major is pretty damn good, so yeah, pretty proud," says Wilson.
Ko's remarkable feat is generating attention, both worldwide and of course here at home.
"I didn't know how she was doing until I heard it on the news this morning, and I think it's quite the feather on her cap," says New Zealand golfing legend Sir Bob Charles.
And Ko's success is already paying dividends for the sport in New Zealand.
"We are seeing - generating - some interest in the junior players. In particular, junior girls' numbers are rising, so we're seeing an effect already there," says NZ High Performance manager Gregg Thorpe.
The win sees her pocket more than $770,000, and there's one more bonus that's priceless: "Everybody won't ask me if I'll win my first major, because it's done," says Ko.
3 News