Teenage sensations Ko, Hull paired in Canada

EDMONTON, Alberta - Lydia Ko made history last year at Vancouver Golf Club when she won the Canadian Women’s Open to become the LPGA Tour’s youngest winner and fifth amateur champion.

Fellow teenager Charley Hull starred last week in the Solheim Cup, helping Europe beat the United States, 18-10, at Colorado Golf Club.

They will play alongside each other in the first two rounds at Royal Mayfair, starting play Thursday morning in a group with young Canadian player Jennifer Kirby.

“She obviously proved herself out there last week, and she’s obviously a really great player,” Ko said about Hull.

Last year, Ko won at 15 years, 4 months. The Korean-born New Zealander broke the age record of 16 set by Lexi Thompson in the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic.

“Time flies and lots of things have happened since then,” Ko said. “I’ve been really enjoying it the last year.”

Ko has two other victories in professional events, the New South Wales Open in Australia last year and the New Zealand Women’s Open this year. She’s making her 10th LPGA Tour start of the season.

“You know, I’ve been getting a whole new experience, because courses change,” Ko said. “I’ve been getting a feel for all these different types of golf courses in different countries and situations. I’ve been really enjoying it. It doesn’t feel like I’ve played 10 already, but yeah, it’s been really cool to have that opportunity to play this many.”

Korea’s Park In-bee, the runner-up last year behind Ko, has six victories this year. She won the first three major championships of the season, then finished 14 strokes behind Stacy Lewis in the Women’s British Open in her bid to become the first professional to win four straight majors in one season.

“I feel like I’m a lot more relaxed now,” Park said. “I mean, I experienced some big pressure in the British Open. That week was big, and it could have been great if I could have played a little bit better, but some weeks you don’t play your best. But I had a great experience there.” AP