Rookie Race Heating Up As Season Enters Final Act

With just 10 tournaments remaining on the LPGA’s 2015 schedule, year-end races are beginning to heat up in earnest.

One of the most interesting battles is for the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award, where a tight race has developed heading into the season’s stretch run. Sei Young Kim won the second event of the season in the Bahamas and looked to be running away with the award after adding a second victory in the season’s ninth event, but she is going to have to keep up her stellar play all season if she is to secure the coveted hardware.

Fellow Republic of Korea standout Hyo Joo Kim won her first LPGA event as a Tour player – she won the 2014 Evian Championship as a non-member – and has racked up eight top-10’s this season. Sei Young Kim, who also has eight top-10’s in 2015, leads the way with 1,051 points, but Hyo Joo Kim is nipping at her golf shoes with 1,004 points of her own.

Sei Young Kim, the world’s 12^th-ranked player, has banked $1,294,959 in earnings this season, but would love to also take home top rookie honors as well. Hyo Joo Kim, No. 5 in the world, has pocketed $777,398 in 17 events (two fewer than Sei Young Kim) and carded a 4-under 68 in the opening round of the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic in Alabama on Thursday.

Sei Young Kim was one stroke back at 3-under, so the countrywomen are sure to keep the close race going this weekend. Those two should be fun to watch as the season proceeds in the coming months and points become more and more scarce.

Not to be outdone, Australia’s Minjee Lee, the former top-ranked amateur in the world, has been playing well and also could increasingly factor into the mix down the stretch. Lee, No. 15 in the Rolex Women’s Golf World Rankings, is third in the rookie race with 813 points, won the Kingsmill Championship in May and has another four top-10 finishes this season.

Lee, who has $603,737 in season earnings, posted a round of even par on Thursday and has the game to catch the pair of Kims in the season’s closing events.

Republic of Korea’s Ha Na Jang is fourth in the rookie standings with 694 points thanks to six top-10 finishes this season. Jang, who has $651,320 in earnings in 2015, has been extremely close to winning, settling for three runner-up finishes.

So, there’s no reason to count the world’s 21^st-ranked player out of the mix by any means.

This year’s rookie class has been called by some the best in LPGA history, and it would be hard to argue against that claim. That is especially true considering U.S. Solheim Cup Team member Alison Lee, 30^th-ranked Q Baek, top-10 regular Ariya Jutanugarn and European Solheim Cup Team member Charley Hull are also part of the group.

No matter who wins the award this year, they will have earned it against arguably the toughest first-year competition the Tour has ever seen.