The 2022 LPGA Tour season is in the home stretch. As the season continues in the Republic of Korea, here is an update on the season-ending awards.
Rolex Player of the Year
There are 18 players who have a mathematical chance of winning the player of the year award with four events remaining in the 2022 season. Minjee Lee’s performance of six top-four finishes including two wins is the best performance of any player to date. Lee rose to the top of the standings after her win at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica and has continued to hold a double-digit lead through the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship. Three players trail Lee by less than 30 points with each player competing in at least two more events.Most Rolex Player of the Year Points | |
---|---|
Through 2022 LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship | |
Minjee Lee | 149 |
Brooke Henderson | 130 |
Atthaya Thitikul | 124 |
Lydia Ko | 120 |
Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year
Atthaya Thitikul and Hye-Jin Choi have separated themselves from the rest of the rookie class and are the only two players who could earn the rookie of the year trophy at the end of the season. Thitikul has led the standings since the HSBC Women’s World Championship and has recorded 19 top-40 finishes in 23 events that includes 13 top-10 finishes and two wins.Choi trails Thitikul by 243 points compiling an impressive record of 23 top-40 finishes in 24 events that includes nine top-10 finishes. Choi is scheduled to compete in all remaining events with Thitikul sitting out at just the Pelican Women’s Championship presented by Konica Minolta and Raymond James. There are several scenarios for each player to emerge as the winner.
Vare Trophy
Lydia Ko has the lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour with an average score of 69.176 in 74 rounds. Her nearest competitor is Minjee Lee who would need an average strokes per round of 68.389 in her remaining events to pass Ko’s current average. Atthaya Thitikul would need an average round score of 67.158 to contend. And, with two planned events for Xiyu Lin and Brooke Henderson, they would have to average rounds of 66.480 or better to have any chance.Lowest Scoring Average | ||
---|---|---|
Through 2022 LPGA MEDIHEAL Championsip | ||
Average | Difference | |
Lydia Ko | 69.176 | |
Minjee Lee | 69.333 | 0.157 |
Xiyu Lin | 69.439 | 0.263 |
Atthaya Thitikul | 69.464 | 0.288 |
Brooke Henderson | 69.479 | 0.303 |
Money Title
Minjee Lee has earned more than $3.7 million in 2022 and has led the Tour in official money since her second major title at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica. Lee leads In Gee Chun by more than $1.1 million in earnings. As it stands today, the 15 players trying to catch Lee would need to at least win the CME Group Tour Championship to have a chance at the money title. The season-ending event awards $2 million to the winner and $300,000 goes to the winner of the next three events on the schedule (BMW Ladies Championship, TOTO Japan Classic and Pelican Women’s Championship).With $93.5 million in prize money for 32 events, the record book for money records has been rewritten in 2022. Major championships made up 40% of the total prize money which set a new record for a full season of competition, up six percent from 2021. Players have already earned more money in a single year at all levels of earnings. A total of 49 players have earned more than half a million dollars on the year with 20 players crossing the $1 million mark.
Aon Risk Reward Challenge
Minjee Lee is ranked first in the Aon Risk Reward Challenge with an average score of -0.906 and is 29-under par on 32 holes played. Lee is the only player who has led the competition for more than one week with a total of 19 weeks at the top of the leaderboard. Lee is scheduled to play the next two events.Xiyu Lin is second with an average score of -0.881 and returns to competition at the Pelican Women’s Championship. There are 22 other players, including Atthaya Thitikul and Jennifer Kupcho, who are within reach of Lee and have a mathematical chance depending on their performance on the challenge holes.
Aon Risk Reward Challenge Leaders | ||
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Through 2022 LPGA MEDIHEAL Championsip | ||
Average | Score to Par | |
Minjee Lee | -0.906 | -29 in 32 holes |
Xiyu Lin | -0.881 | -37 in 42 holes |
Atthaya Thitikul | -0.864 | -38 in 44 holes |
Jennifer Kupcho | -0.833 | -35 in 42 holes |