Lydia Ko is only 17 but the Kiwi at the top of the world rankings is way beyond compare among female athletes

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The world’s most extraordinary woman athlete? Those who love athletics and tennis and all the other sports in which women are achieving amazing things will have their favourites, no doubt.

But if there is anyone right now who is coming close to matching the feats of the remarkable Lydia Ko, I’ll be most impressed.

Indeed, the only thing that might cost her marks is that she is barely a woman at all. She is only 17, for heaven’s sake, and yet ruling the world in a sport in which a player’s prime years are usually considered to be around twice her age.

Becoming world No 1 three weeks ago was astounding enough, but how she would cope was the acid test. Think of Martin Kaymer, who could not handle reaching the summit in the men’s game in his mid-20s. Or Yani Tseng, who won majors for fun for a while but admitted her relief when she was finally relieved of the mantle.

Lydia Ko holds the Australian Open trophy following her victory in Melbourne on Sunday

New Zealander Ko has shot her way to the top of the world rankings at just 17 years old

Ko’s mother Tina could not hide her anxiety, tugging her hair and exclaiming: ‘Headache. She’s too young to be No 1.’

So it was that Ko, born in South Korea but a proud New Zealander, assumed the awesome responsibility at the Australian Open last week. The venue was Royal Melbourne, one of the world’s best courses and a test so devilish it would trip up any pretender.

Could she live up to her billing? As ever, Ko took it all in her uniquely impressive stride. Even when she stumbled early on during the final round on Sunday she did not panic, getting back on track with a spectacular eagle three.

Ko was the centre of attention in Melbourne and took time to sign autographs for keen fans

Ko is coached by David Leadbetter who is best-known for tutoring Sir Nick Faldo

Ko has won nine times as a professional with six of her victories coming on the difficult LPGA Tour

‘That’s Lydia,’ says her coach David Leadbetter, who achieved fame tutoring Sir Nick Faldo. ‘She walks on this cloud and never gets overly excited or overly down.’

Just to remind the world of her age, Ko broke into a fit of giggles walking down the 72nd fairway before putting the finishing touches to a classy two-shot victory.

It was, believe it or not, her ninth win as a professional, and six of them have been achieved on the LPGA Tour, the toughest circuit in the women’s game.

This week she goes home to play in the New Zealand Open, an event she won as a 15-year-old amateur.

If Ko remains true to her word, we must enjoy her performances while we can. Far from becoming burned out at 30, she plans to retire and seek a second career as a sports psychologist.

Do you think she would have any trouble attracting leading sportswomen to pay top dollar to learn her secrets?

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

‘If Phil Mickelson wants to say what he said, it’s up to him. But if I had a losing record like his in the Ryder Cup, I’d just keep my mouth shut.’

Merry Mex Lee Trevino was not so merry in an interview last week when asked about the lefty’s now infamous mutiny at Gleneagles last year, when he publicly criticised captain Tom Watson in the wake of yet another defeat at the hands of Europe.

Mickelson, who has played in 10 Ryder Cups and finished on the winning side just twice, currently trails Jim Furyk by one point to see who can run up the most losing matches in US Ryder Cup history.

On Tuesday, the PGA of America will announce Davis Love will be the next skipper, thereby giving him the chance to atone for being on the wrong end of the sporting miracle that occurred at Medinah in 2012.

Lee Trevino was unimpressed with Phil Mickelson's behaviour following the US side's loss at Gleneagles

Mickelson (centre) publicly criticised captain Tom Watson following Europe's victory in Scotland

McGinley Jnr is one in a million

Let’s see. Your brother helped Europe win the Ryder Cup on three occasions and proved, by near unanimous consent, to be the best captain Europe has ever had in masterminding victory at Gleneagles last year. How on earth do you emerge from such a particularly large golfing shadow?

With a feat that has become the talk of the golf community in the United Arab Emirates, Michael McGinley somewhat managed it last week.

The vast majority of club golfers would be thrilled to achieve three holes-in-one over the course of a lifetime. Michael, younger brother of Paul, achieved three in the space of six days.

Captain Paul McGinley is doused in champagne following his team's Ryder Cup triumph last September 

A plus-one golfer at the impressive Dubai Creek course, the UAE resident mustered the first of his aces at the difficult par-three fourth at Jumeirah Golf Estates — home to the DP World Tour Championship each November — using a four-iron.

He came up with another at the fifth on his home course a couple of days later before demonstrating that good things really can come in threes by holing out once more during his next round, with a nine-iron at the eighth.

‘I had a hole-in-one when I was 15 but hadn’t had one since, so to have three in six days is an amazing, incredible feeling,’ he said.

Clearly, when it comes to this sport, such feelings rather run in the family.