Former World No. 1 Karrie Webb believes 15-year-old Lydia Ko is ready to turn pro and start keeping all that money she'd win if she wasn't an amateur, according to David Barbeler's report.

When asked if her advice to Ko would be to stay amateur for a while longer and enjoy the game, Webb replied: "No, that's not my advice to her.

"Obviously she's proven that she's ready to play professional golf."

Ko, who briefly held the record as the youngest person to win a professional event after winning the NSW Women's Open last year, won the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur and finished as the low amateur in the U.S. Women's Open in the same year. She has also recorded several victories in her native New Zealand. She has forfeited almost $500,000 in winning to keep her amateur status.

Just 15, Lydia Ko continued to prove herself among the best women golfers in the world with a victory at last week's ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open.

The win moved Ko up to 30th in the world and would have been worth $41,000 but, alas, she's still an amateur. With Ko and company heading into this week's LPGA season opener at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, Golf Channel's Randal Mel takes a look at exactly how much she's leaving on the table.

As a pro, Ko would have taken home $41,000 for Sunday’s win in New Zealand (as converted to U.S. currency). Ko, however, remains an amateur and didn’t take home any of it. Last year, she left $300,000 on the table winning the CN Canadian Women’s Open. She left $19,000 on the table winning the New South Wales Open.

In 12 starts in professional events, Ko has won three times and finished second twice. Overall, as an amateur, she has "won" more than $470,000 in professional events that she hasn’t been able to collect due to her playing status.

Photo: Lydia Ko celebrates her win at the NZ Women's Open on Sunday. It was her third win in a professional event (Getty Images).