With a notable double prize not only within reach, but practically in her grip, New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko had to settle for half of the spoils - though it represented a significant piece of golf history, nonetheless. After reclaiming the lead late in the final round, the 17-year-old Ko double bogeyed the 71st hole in the inaugural Coates Golf Championship to lose by a shot to Choi Na-yeon. However, the transplanted New Zealander became the youngest player of either gender to climb to world No 1, breaking the record set by Tiger Woods by almost four years. As the ramifications of the distinction finally took hold, the sting of defeat at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club wasn't quite so bad. The notion of celebrating, which first set her back for a moment, didn't seem so crazy after all. "It's going to be good," Ko said. "I was here to focus on the tournament itself, but I guess I got a great outcome at the end of the day, too." After leading by as many as four shots on the front nine, Ko trailed Choi by a shot as they played the par-three 15th. With Choi facing a six-footer for birdie, Ko holed an improbable 60-footer and Choi promptly three-putted for a two-shot swing. The teenager's lead did not last long. Ko drove into a fairway bunker, then fanned a hybrid shot into a stand of pine trees down the right side of the 17th hole, scrambling for double bogey. As the steadier Choi finished with a four-under 68 and 16-under total, Ko had to salvage a par on the 18th to finish in a three-way tie at 15 under, but it was good enough to secure a piece of the record book. Woods was 21 years, five months and 16 days when he reached the top in 1997. Ko hit the mark three years, eight months and 14 days earlier. The men's rankings date to 1986. The women's list is nine years old. "It's a nice consolation, if you want to call it that," said Ko's swing coach, David Leadbetter. Ko finished with a 71 to match Jessica Korda (66) and Jang Hana (70) at 15 under. Ko hardly seemed derailed by the 71st-hole meltdown. Her indefatigable nature was her biggest asset, Leadbetter said. Choi, on the other hand, was clearly caught up in the emotion of her first victory since late 2012. She topped the US LPGA money list in 2010 and won the 2012 US Women's Open, but had fallen out of the world top 15. "I was so nervous out there," said Choi, who recorded her eighth US LPGA Tour win and was fighting back tears. "I was waiting so long for this moment." Choi, one of the game's elite players before the two-year victory drought, admitted the pressure to succeed wore her down. "I had a lot of stress from the result," Choi said. "Even if I was top 10 or top five, not many people said you did a good job if you finish as runner-up. They say you are a loser, that hurts me a lot."