📍North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand
2003 – 2013“Lydia Ko was born in Seoul in 1997 and moved with her family to Auckland's North Shore when she was four, settling near Lake Pupuke and its golf course. Her parents wanted a calmer life and better opportunities for their daughters. When Lydia was five, her mother took her into the pro shop at the Pupuke Golf Club, run by the professional Guy Wilson. He spoke no Korean, and she knew only a few letters of English, but he agreed to teach her, and he remained her coach for more than a decade. The North Shore, with its beaches, lakes and quiet suburbs, gave her a safe, ordinary childhood alongside an extraordinary talent. She practised for hours every day after school at Pupuke, with her mother always nearby, and learned English quickly at school. She was soon winning junior tournaments, became a New Zealand citizen at twelve, and balanced schoolwork with a rapidly growing golf career. In 2012, at fifteen, she won the Canadian Women's Open, becoming the youngest winner of a professional tour event in history, and she turned professional the following year. She became world number one at seventeen, won major championships and Olympic medals of every colour, crowned by gold in Paris in 2024, which earned her a place in the LPGA Hall of Fame. She has always credited her New Zealand upbringing and her first coach at Pupuke for her success, and the North Shore remains proud of her.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today