Ko not turning pro just yet

Last updated: 18th February 2013

Teenage sensation Lydia Ko looks set to remain in the amateur ranks for the immediate future despite impressing on tour.

Ko backed up her win at the New Zealand Women's Open earlier in the month with a third-place finish at last week's Women's Australian Open.

The 15-year-old has now won three professional tournaments but has not been able to pick up any prize money due to her amateur status. However, according to her coach, Guy Wilson, she will not be tempted into turning pro just yet.

"She hasn't got any new plans for it to move from being a game to a job,"Wilson told Radio New Zealand.

"In our plans, she's probably got about a year and a half to go (before turning professional).

"It's a big decision. It's not the same playing as an amateur as it is as a professional.

"There are a whole lot of other extraneous pressures and calls that come with that. She's only 15. I think it's a very wise move of her just to take her time.

"She's got an extraordinary career ahead of her, I'm sure," he added.

"If anything, it would be a greater risk to go too soon than to hold on."

Ko has expressed her weariness of turning pro too early, citing Michelle Wie's troubles as a potential pitfall. Wie has struggled to reach the heights that were expected of her after turning pro aged 15 in 2005, winning just two titles since then.