As we take a look at some of the most talented prodigies in the history of golf, where better to start than Tiger Woods: Six junior world championships to his name, the only player to win three US junior championships in a row, and a three-peat winner of the US amateur from 1994 to 1996. Woods turned pro in August 1996. Within a year, he'd scooped three PGA Tour events, become the youngest winner of The Masters at 21, and become the fastest player to reach No. 1 after turning professional, just 290 days into his pro career. Pictured, Woods at the 1996 US Amateur Championships.<br />

As we examine some of the most gifted young golfers in the history of the sport, there is no better place to start than with Tiger Woods. He has an impressive record, including six junior world championships, three consecutive US junior championships, and a three-peat victory at the US amateur from 1994 to 1996. Woods officially turned professional in August 1996 and within a year, he had won three PGA Tour events. He also made history by becoming the youngest player to win The Masters at the age of 21, and reaching the No.1 ranking in just 290 days after turning pro. In the photo, Woods is shown at the 1996 US Amateur Championships.

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Following a series of wins in Canadian amateur events, Brooke Henderson became the youngest-ever winner of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship (at the Sahalee Country Club, pictured) when she won her first major aged 18 in 2016. Henderson has since racked up eight wins on the LPGA Tour, her most recent coming at the LA Open in April 2021.<br />

Brooke Henderson made history in 2016 when she became the youngest player to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, at the Sahalee Country Club. This achievement followed a string of victories in amateur Canadian events. Since then, Henderson has continued to impress with eight additional wins on the LPGA Tour, including her most recent triumph at the LA Open in April 2021.

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After becoming the youngest player to win the British Amateur Championship in 2009 (at Formby Golf Club, pictured) and make the cut at The Masters as a 16-year-old the following year, Italy's Matteo Manassero burst onto the pro scene, becoming the first teenager to win three times on the European Tour. Victories at the Castello Masters, Malaysian Open, and the BMW PGA Championship suggested the arrival of a new superstar, but Manassero has since endured a difficult spell. He hasn't won on the European Tour since 2013, though 7th and 8th Tour finishes already in 2022 have made for a solid start to the year for the Italian.

In 2009, Matteo Manassero became the youngest player to win the British Amateur Championship at Formby Golf Club. The following year, he also made the cut at The Masters as a 16-year-old. This propelled him onto the professional scene, where he became the first teenager to win three times on the European Tour. His victories at the Castello Masters, Malaysian Open, and BMW PGA Championship marked him as a potential superstar. However, Manassero has faced challenges in recent years and has not won on the European Tour since 2013. Despite this, he has had solid finishes in 7th and 8th place on the tour in 2022, showing promise for the Italian golfer’s future.

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The youngest-ever known winner of a professional golf tour event, 14-year-old Atthaya Thitikul made headlines around the world when she triumphed at the Ladies European Thailand Championship in 2017. A string of amateur titles followed before Thitikul turned pro in 2020, and the Thai prodigy's meteoric rise continued with three more Ladies European Tour wins by September 2021. She won her first LPGA Tour event in March 2022 at the JTBC Classic in Southern California (pictured), and in May, rose to No. 4 in the world rankings.

Atthaya Thitikul, who was only 14 years old at the time, became the youngest person to win a professional golf tour event when she emerged victorious at the Ladies European Thailand Championship in 2017. Following this achievement, Thitikul went on to win several amateur titles before turning pro in 2020. Since then, she has continued to impress with three more wins on the Ladies European Tour by September 2021. In March 2022, Thitikul claimed her first LPGA Tour victory at the JTBC Classic in Southern California (pictured), and she climbed to No. 4 in the world rankings by May of that year.

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Continuing Thailand's recent trend of golf prodigies, Ratchanon "TK" Chantananuwat narrowly missed out on besting compatriot Thitikul's record when he became the youngest male player to win on a major Tour aged 15 years and 37 days. Victory at the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in April 2022 (pictured) set a new peak in the schoolboy's amateur career, having already become the youngest player to make the cut in the history of the All Thailand Golf Tour in 2020, aged 13 years and four months.

Thailand has seen a rise in young golf talents, and Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat is one of them. He came close to breaking his fellow countryman Thitikul’s record for being the youngest male player to win a major Tour title at the age of 15 years and 37 days. In April 2022, he secured victory at the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup (pictured), marking a new high point in his amateur career. Prior to this, TK had already made history by being the youngest player to make the cut in the All Thailand Golf Tour in 2020 at just 13 years and four months old.

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Having already won on the ALPG Tour earlier that year, New Zealand's Lydia Ko became the youngest golfer to win on the LPGA Tour when -- at 15 years old -- she triumphed at the CN Canadian Women's Open in August 2012 (pictured). After turning pro in October 2013, Ko has gone from strength to strength with an already-glittering trophy cabinet. At 17 years old, she was the youngest golfer to reach the No. 1 ranking in 2015, and today boasts 17 victories on the LPGA Tour.

Lydia Ko, a golfer from New Zealand, made history at the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open when she became the youngest player to win on the LPGA Tour at just 15 years old. This was after she had already won on the ALPG Tour earlier that year. Ko turned pro in October 2013 and has continued to achieve success, accumulating an impressive collection of trophies. In 2015, at 17 years old, she became the youngest player to reach the No. 1 ranking and currently holds a total of 17 victories on the LPGA Tour.

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Arguably the greatest golfer never to go pro, Bobby Jones is one of the sport's most influential figures. A prodigious young talent with a string of wins by the age of 14, it took longer than expected for Jones to win his first major, triumphing at the US Open in 1923, aged 21. He soon added three more and three British Open titles before retiring at just 28. He proceeded to found and help design the course at Augusta National Golf Club, where The Masters -- then known as the Augusta National Invitational -- was first hosted in 1934.<br />

Bobby Jones, widely considered the best golfer to never turn professional, is a highly influential figure in the sport. He showed immense skill from a young age, winning numerous tournaments by the time he was 14 years old. However, it took longer than anticipated for Jones to secure his first major victory at the US Open in 1923, when he was 21 years old. He went on to win three more US Opens and three British Opens before retiring at the young age of 28. Jones then went on to establish Augusta National Golf Club and played a significant role in designing its course. In 1934, the club hosted its first tournament, known at the time as the Augusta National Invitational, which is now famously known as The Masters.

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One of the most famed golf prodigies in recent history, a 10-year-old Michelle Wie became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur Championship in 2000. Aged 14 in 2004, she bested many of the world's top men's players' and major winners at the Sony Open (pictured) despite narrowly missing the cut. With a professional career marred by injury, victory at the US Women's Open in 2014 has proven to be the career peak for Wie, who told CNN she had been considering retirement before the birth of her daughter in 2020.</span> </div> <figcaption class=

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Golf’s greatest-ever prodigies