'Korea vs Asia'... "Heated LPGA Rookie of the Year Competition"

‘JTBC Classic Champ’ Titikkun 1st, Rising Star Choi Hye-jin 2nd, Shibuno 3rd, ‘Seed Qualifier Top’ Ahn Na-rin 4th 'Close Contest'

Atthaya Thitikul, Choi Hye-jin, Hinako Shibuno, and Annarin (from left) are fiercely competing in the Rookie of the Year race on this year's LPGA Tour.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] The competition has been fierce since the beginning of the season.

This is about the Rookie of the Year in the 2022 season of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. Thailand and Japan have joined the traditionally strong nation of Korea, creating an intense race. The atmosphere is shaping up to be a showdown between Korea and Asia again this year. The Rookie of the Year title has already been dominated by Asians. Looking at the winners over the past 10 years, all have been Asians: Korea has won 7 times including 5 consecutive years, Thailand 2 times, and New Zealand once.

Korea is a powerhouse that has produced many Rookies of the Year. Starting with Park Seri (45) in 1998, a total of 13 players have won the Rookie of the Year award. Seo Hee-kyung (36) and Yoo So-yeon (32, Mediheal) won in 2011 and 2012 respectively, and from 2015 to 2019, Kim Se-young (29, Mediheal), Jeon In-ji (28, KB Financial Group), Park Sung-hyun (29), Ko Jin-young (27), and Lee Jeong-eun 6 (26, Daebang Construction) received the award. In 2020, the Rookie of the Year award was not presented due to a shortage of tournaments caused by COVID-19.

This year, Korea’s Choi Hye-jin (23, Lotte) and An Na-rin (26, Mediheal) are aiming to become the top rookies. Choi Hye-jin is a player who has achieved a total of 10 wins on the KLPGA Tour, including 2 as an amateur. She swept the Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards in 2018, and in 2019, she dominated with the most wins, prize money, lowest scoring average, and Player of the Year. She won the Player of the Year award for three consecutive years until 2020, and after a ‘winless’ year last year, she has turned her attention to bigger stages, dreaming of a comeback.

After going through the LPGA Tour Qualifying (Q) Series last December, she moved to the United States this year and is currently ranked 2nd in Rookie of the Year points (352 points) as of the 4th. After warming up with a tie for 8th at the Gainbridge LPGA in January and a tie for 15th at the Drive On Championship in February, she showed an upward trend with a 3rd place at the Lotte Championship on the 17th of last month and a tie for 6th at the DIO Implant LA Open on the 25th. Although she has not won yet, she has steadily accumulated points with three top-10 finishes in seven tournaments.

An Na-rin’s potential is also formidable. She debuted on the KLPGA Tour in 2017 and succeeded on her 93rd attempt at the Otech Carrier Championship in October 2020. In November of the same year, she won the Hana Financial Group Championship, marking her second career victory. She made a success story by finishing first in last year’s Q-Series and is currently ranked 4th in Rookie of the Year points (176 points). She has recorded two top-10 finishes. At last month’s JTBC Classic, she competed for the win and achieved her personal best with a 3rd place finish.

Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) is a strong favorite for Rookie of the Year. She made a strong impression as the youngest winner (14 years, 4 months, 19 days) at the 2017 Ladies European Tour (LET) Thailand Championship. She has already won 11 professional tournaments, including 5 wins on the Thai LPGA in the 2020 season. She is the only rookie to have tasted victory this year and leads the Rookie of the Year points with 512 points. Following Moriya Jutanugarn in 2013 and Patty Tavatanakit last year, she aims to be the next Thai Rookie of the Year.

Hinako Shibuno (Japan) is also a dark horse. She is ranked 3rd in Rookie of the Year points (291 points). She has three top-10 finishes, including a tie for 4th at the season’s first major, the Chevron Championship, and a runner-up finish at the Lotte Championship. Her main weapons are her long drives averaging 262.46 yards and her ‘pinpoint iron shots’ with a greens in regulation rate of 72.44%. She has experience winning a major, having won the British Women’s Open in 2019 as a non-member. Japan’s only Rookie of the Year was Hiromi Kobayashi in 1990, 32 years ago.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.