Yoo Hae-ran 'Rises as Rookie of the Year in the US Following Korea'
Korean Player Wins 14th 'Rookie of the Year' Title in 4 Years
Grace Kim Ranks 2nd, Rose Jang 3rd in Rookie Points
Award Ceremony at Next Week's Tour Championship Final
Yoo Hae-ran was crowned Rookie of the Year in the United States following her success in Korea.
On the 12th (local time), she finished tied for 12th at the LPGA Tour's The Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, held at Pelican Golf Club (par 70, 6,268 yards) in Belleair, Florida. Grace Kim (Australia), who was second in the Rookie of the Year race, failed to win and finished tied for 23rd, securing Yoo Hae-ran's Rookie of the Year award regardless of the final event results this season.
This is the first time in four years since Lee Jeong-eun6 in 2019 that a Korean player has won the Rookie of the Year on the LPGA Tour. Yoo Hae-ran is the 14th Korean player to receive the award, following Park Se-ri in 1998, Kim Mi-hyun in 1998, Han Hee-won in 2001, Ahn Shi-hyun in 2004, Lee Sun-hwa in 2006, Shin Ji-ae in 2009, Seo Hee-kyung in 2011, Yoo So-yeon in 2012, Kim Se-young in 2015, Jeon In-ji in 2016, Park Sung-hyun in 2017, Ko Jin-young in 2018, and Lee Jeong-eun6 in 2019.
In 2020, no Rookie of the Year was awarded due to the impact of COVID-19. Recently, Thai players such as Patty Tavatanakit in 2021 and Atthaya Thitikul last year have dominated the Rookie of the Year honors. The LPGA Tour season individual awards ceremony, including the Rookie of the Year, will be held over four days starting on the 16th during the CME Group Tour Championship (total prize money $7 million) in Naples, Florida, the final event of the 2023 season.
After the tournament, Yoo Hae-ran said in an interview, "I am very happy. The LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year is an award every rookie wants. Many famous players have received it, so I am proud of myself." When asked about her most memorable tournament, she recalled, "Winning my first title in Arkansas was very meaningful." Yoo Hae-ran claimed her first career victory last month at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship held in Arkansas, USA.
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Yoo Hae-ran is the player who made a surprise win as an invited player at the 2019 Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour Jeju Samdasoo Masters. She quickly earned her full tour card and won once in 2020, claiming the Rookie of the Year title. After accumulating five wins in total, including two in 2021 and one in 2022, she passed the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament as the medalist last December and advanced to the U.S. stage this year. Yoo Hae-ran has recorded six top-10 finishes this season on the LPGA Tour, including one victory.
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