The LPGA Tour just added another page to its history books. This time it’s by 16-year-old Aphrodite Deng. Deng has matched Lydia Ko’s record for lowest amateur score, one of the most enduring marks in LPGA history. By doing so, she has made herself one of the most decorated prodigies the sport has seen.

The LPGA’s own account shared the news on X: “Domination from Aphrodite Deng. She leaps up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 63.”

Moreover, Golf Insider Grant Boone posted, “Confirmed: The 63 from Aphrodite Deng, age 16, ties the lowest score in recorded LPGA history, first shot by Lydia Ko in 2013 when she was 15 (in between her first 2 @cpkcwomensopen titles).

It’s a huge mark. Simply put, Deng, a Canadian amateur, shot a bogey-free 63 in the third round at Royal Mayfair Golf Club at the CPKC Women’s Open.

Here’s how the build-up to that point went: Deng opened her week with a 70 on Thursday, then carded a 67 on Friday to reach 3-under through 36 holes.

Deng opened her third round with three straight pars before carding a birdie on the par-4 fourth. She added another birdie on the par-4 sixth, then a birdie on the par-3 seventh, and closed out the front nine with pars on 8 and 9 to make the turn at 3-under 32.

It’s a brilliant record on its own, sure. But she also matched Lydia Ko’s lowest amateur record. In February 2013, 15-year-old Ko opened the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Canberra with a 10-under 63. She led through 54 holes but closed with a final-round 76 to finish third, four shots behind winner Jiyai Shin.

Deng, for her part, stayed humble while speaking to the press. “It felt really great, but I wasn’t really counting how low I was shooting. I was just trying to learn from my first two days and make the least mistakes as possible.”

Notably, this is Deng’s second start at her national championship. Last year in Mississauga, as a 15-year-old, she opened with a share of the clubhouse lead before finishing tied for 20th. Regardless, it was good enough to claim the Marlene Stewart Streit Medal as a low amateur. A year later, she has now matched her record with Lydia Ko.

Aphrodite Deng’s Rise Continues Beyond Her Record-Breaking Round

Since last year, Aphrodite Deng has continued to climb in her performance, rising to World No. 8 amateur. Moreover, she earned a start this year at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur as one of the youngest players in the field.

Deng has been part of a broader story at this year’s CPKC Women’s Open. She is one of the four Canadian women, 18 or under, to make it through the cut, a first in tournament history. She is also one of the budding athletes following in the footsteps of Brooke Henderson from Canada.

Those close to her game have pointed to her work ethic as much as her talent. At ANWA, for instance, earlier this year, she shot an opening round she wasn’t satisfied with. Deng skipped lunch with the veterans in the field and spent 45 minutes extra on the range tightening her fundamentals before finishing the tournament.

That said, Miyu Yamashita still leads the tournament comfortably, sitting at 19 under after a 65 of her own on Saturday, chasing her fourth LPGA title. But for one afternoon in Edmonton, the biggest story of the leaderboard belonged to a 16-year-old amateur who just matched history.