Naomi Ko hoping to follow path created by world No. 1 golfer that shares same surname

Anyone that follows women’s golf knows the name Lydia Ko — the 19-year-old phenom from New Zealand currently ranked No. 1 in the world.

What about Naomi Ko? The name may not ring a bell now, but it’s a name you’ll hear about (and see) more of before long. Yesterday, I, along with a few of my media colleagues, had the pleasure to play a round with the 18-year-old from Victoria at Goodwood Golf Club in Uxbridge, Ont.

From the moment I shook Ko’s hand, I sensed someone who was destined for future success in her chosen sport. Quiet, composed and confident, the teenager was a joy to play with. Her swing is smooth and she sports a smile to match. I watched in awe on each tee as Ko pumped drive after drive straight down the fairway.

One of the newest additions to Team Canada’s national amateur squad, Ko just finished her freshman year at North Carolina State. The Wolfpack member is majoring in sports management — keeping her options open if a professional golf career is not in the cards.

This summer, the amateur gets a couple of chances to challenge the world’s best professionals. Ko qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open, which takes place July 4-10 in California; she is also playing in the upcoming Cambia Portland Classic, held June 30-July 3, at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, OR. This will be Ko’s first LPGA tournament. The defending champion of the event is former Team Canada member Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who earned a spot in the event through the Monday qualifier last year and went on to win the event by eight shots for her first LPGA victory.

Ko, who knows Henderson from their time together on Team Canada, has roomed with her on occasion.

“I’m really excited to be playing in the Portland Classic,” she said. “I know Brooke (Henderson) won it last year and look forward to seeing her here this year.”

Playing Goodwood’s large, undulating severely sloped greens — and in a wind worthy of the Scottish highlands on this days — Ko showed a deft ability to get up and down from off the greens and make smooth rolling routine two-putts no matter where she was on the putting surface.

Ko made the jump to Golf Canada’s national amateur team in 2015 after a summer that featured a runner-up finish at the Ontario Amateur, a fifth-place finish at the B.C. Women’s Amateur and a third-place finish at the Canadian Junior Girls.

A self-described, “part introvert and part extrovert” away from the links, Ko likes to just chill with her college and Team Canada teammates or show off her cooking chops in the kitchen. If she could have a walk-up song to the first tee, it would be “Shake it off” by Taylor Swift.

“I’m looking forward to learning a lot playing in these upcoming pro events,” she said. “It’s going to be nerve-wracking hitting balls beside (the pros) but I just have to remind myself to have fun and learn from the world’s best.”