14 rookies will tee it up this week at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic Presented by CTBC in hopes of continuing their dominance this season on tour.
Three of the first nine events have been won by rookies, who are also leading the Rolex Player of the Year standings, the money list and top the list in driving distance. Rookies currently hold the number two spots in the Race for the CME Globe standings and in scoring average.
To get a better idea of just how good these players are, take a look at what the 2014 rookie class accomplished. Not only did it include current World Number One, Lydia Ko, who won three times in her rookie season, but also fellow rookie Mirim Lee, who won twice as well. The two finished in the top-14 on the money list and Ko took home the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors. In just 10 events, the 2015 rookie class is close to matching what took last year’s class an entire season to accomplish. With a win this week in San Francisco, Sei Young Kim can match Ko’s three rookie wins. In eight starts, Kim has five top-10’s and currently leads the money list. Fellow rookie and South Korean Hyo Joo Kim won her first event in March at the JTBC Founders Cup Presented by JTBC and ranks second in scoring average on Tour.
“I honestly didn't expect to win any tournaments this year,” Kim told the media last week in Hawaii. “Winning an event in Phoenix was a great moment for me in this rookie season. I used to watch these players on TV and I get to actually sit next to them, play with them, and I get to learn from them. That has been the highlight of my rookie season so far.”
Ko will defend her title this week at Lake Merced Golf Club where she won her first event as a rookie last season.
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