Golf – Teenager Ko becomes youngest world number one

* Lydia Ko breaks Tiger Woods' record at 17 * Finishes second to Choi (Quotes, background) Jan 31 (Reuters) – Lydia Ko, 17, of New Zealand became the youngest golfer to hold the world No. 1 spot by finishing joint second at the season-opening Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida on Saturday. American Tiger Woods was previously the youngest golfer to become world No. 1, in 1997 at age 21, while Shin Ji-yai held the women's record after reaching the top spot in 2010 at age 22. South Korean-born Lydia Ko led by four shots in the final round but fell behind after a six-shot double-bogey on the 17th hole, finishing one shot behind winner and good friend Choi Na-yeon of South Korea, who shot a 68. That still put her ahead of Inbee Park of South Korea on the leaderboard. “It’s unbelievable,” said Ko, who also capped the 2014 season by winning the CME Titleholders event in November and a $1 million prize for winning the season-long points race. Ko, who as a 15-year-old amateur in 2012 became the youngest winner in tour history, shot a 15-under-par 71 to tie for second with American Jessica Korda and South Korean Jang Ha-na at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club. The precocious Ko entered the final round with a one-shot lead and was disappointed not to win the tournament, saying she hadn't thought about her ranking. “I didn't really know what I had to do to get to this position. All I was focused on was trying to play my best here today,” she said. “So it's a huge honor to be in this ranking. I'm just going to focus on my golf, not think about the ranking. “The rankings always come after the results.” (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Steve Keating/Gene Cherry/Patrick Johnston)