At just 18 years old, Yahui Zhang is living the dream. Following the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, the People’s Republic of China native earned LPGA Tour membership for 2025 and is the youngest athlete in her graduating class.

But Zhang didn’t only earn her Tour card.

She also secured Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year honors, which is awarded annually to the player competing in her first professional season who finishes highest in the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card.

With eight top-10 finishes in her rookie season, including her first professional win at the Four Winds Invitational in August, there was no stopping Zhang from earning the prestigious honor.

The soon-to-be LPGA Tour rookie held her spot in the top 15 for 10 tournament weeks and was one of five athletes to secure their card before the season ended. Even before clinching her LPGA Tour card, Zhang proved she has what it takes to compete against the best in the world and knows from her short-lived experience on the Epson Tour that she’s going to have to work hard to achieve her dreams next year on the LPGA Tour.

“After I won the South Bend Four Winds Invitational, my mom told me, ‘You can be the most good rookie player of this year,’ and I said, okay, I’ll work for it. I want it,” said Zhang. “Now I’ve got it. So, I’m double excited.”

Sunday’s LPGA Card Ceremony was a dream come true for Zhang, who told her friends and family growing up that this was the profession for her. Not only can she now call herself an LPGA Tour athlete, but she’ll also join some friends on the biggest stage in women’s golf in 2025, including 2022 graduate Xiaowen Yin, who also earned Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year honors.

“When I was really small, my dream was that my parents or other friends just ask me that. What do you want to do? I want to play on the LPGA Tour. I want to be a professional player,” said Zhang. “And now I got it. I make my dream come true. So I'm so excited. And also, I have a lot of friends. They are all on LPGA ,and they all play pretty good, like Liqi Zeng, Weiwei Zhang and Xiaowen Yin, and they're playing really good, so I'm really happy to join them.”

The Tour’s top rookie award is named in memory of three-year member Gaelle Truet, who was killed in an automobile accident during the 2006 tournament season. Zhang adds her name to a list of incredible athletes who earned the award before her, including major champions Patty Tavatanakit and Hannah Green, as well as LPGA Tour winner Madelene Sagstrom.

With the Rookie of the Year Award, the soon-to-be LPGA Tour Rookie took home $2,500 provided by Seiko Epson Corporation for her outstanding performance during the season. The additional reward is just one of Epson’s contributions to elevating both the Epson Tour and women’s golf. For more information about the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year Award, please click here.

Yahui Zhang Earns 2024 Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year Honors

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