Paying attention to statistical data can predict trends and finishes in skills and performance in golf. The numbers can also show the personal struggles of new and seasoned players with individual components of their game.
Looking back over the season, the numbers that matter became the symbols of success for so many LPGA players this year. Stats leaders, first-time winners and the most improved players can be proud of their contributions to their professional careers this past year on the LPGA Tour.
The top players during the last 12 months included Lilia Vu, Ruoning Yin and Celine Boutier. Each of these players had a tremendous season with Vu and Yin ascending to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for the first time in their careers. Vu became the fourth American player to reach No. 1 in rankings history with Yin following in the footsteps of 10-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion Shanshan Feng. Boutier earned a career-best Rolex Rankings of No. 3 and is the only player from France to be ranked in the top 10.
The top three players in the Rolex Rankings combined for 10 wins and 28 top-10 finishes worldwide in 2023. Since the week of August 14, the No. 1 ranking has changed five times between Vu and Yin.
| Rolex Rankings Top Players | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last 12 Months | |||
|
Player |
Wins |
Top-10 Finishes | Weeks in the Top 10 |
| No. 1 Lilia Vu | 4 | 10 | 33 |
| No. 2 Ruoning Yin | 2 | 9 | 24 |
| No. 3 Celine Boutier | 4 | 9 | 24 |
Vu led the Tour in official money, earning more than $3.5 million in 19 events played. Vu ranks fourth all-time for most money earned in a single season.
| Most Official Money in a Season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LPGA Tour History | |||
|
Player |
More than |
Wins | Events Played |
| 2007 Lorena Ochoa | $4.3 million | 8 | 25 |
| 2022 Lydia Ko | $4.3 million | 3 | 22 |
| 2022 Minjee Lee | $3.8 million | 2 | 20 |
| 2023 Lilia Vu | $3.5 million | 4 | 19 |
| 2021 Jin Young Ko | $3.5 million | 5 | 19 |
Vu, Yin and Boutier ranked in the top 20 in greens in regulation with all three players averaging more than 73% of greens hit in competition. Boutier and Yin ranked first and second in scrambling, making par or better more than 66% of the time when they missed the green. Boutier had the best sand save percentage (60%) of players with 70 or fewer attempts. Vu made birdie or better 33% of the time which ranked fourth on the LPGA Tour. Yin was one of 10 players to record at least 50 sub-par rounds in at least 75 total rounds played.
This season saw 12 new players welcomed to the winner’s circle, five of whom were 2023 LPGA Tour rookies. Twelve different Rolex First-Time Winners is a new single-season record on the LPGA Tour, besting the previous record of 11 that was first set in 1995, and five rookie wins in a year is the most since 2015. That year, Sei Young Kim, Brooke Henderson, Hyo Joo Kim and Minjee Lee captured six collective victories and have now gone on to have 41 career wins combined on Tour.
The early success of Americans Rose Zhang and Alexa Pano follows the great Michelle Wie West who earned five wins and 49 top-10 finishes in her LPGA career that began in 2009. This year, Zhang ranked sixth in greens in regulation (75%) and T10 in putts per green hit in regulation (1.76). After winning in her first professional start at the Mizuho Americas Open where Wie West served as the host, she recorded four additional top 10s in 2023.
| Most Rookie Wins in a Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LPGA Tour Since 1980 | |||
|
Year |
# |
Rookies | |
| 2009 | 7 | Jiyai Shin 3, Anna Nordqvist 2, Mi Jung Hur, Michelle Wie West | |
| 2015 | 6 | Sei Young Kim 3, Brooke Henderson, Hyo Joo Kim, Minjee Lee | |
| 2023 | 5 | Grace Kim, Alexa Pano, Hae Ran Ryu, Chanettee Wannasaen, Rose Zhang | |
| 2014 | 5 | Lydia Ko 3, Mirim Lee 2 | |
| 1996 | 5 | Karrie Webb 4, Mayumi Hirase | |
Megan Khang and Angel Yin were two of the most improved players this season from 2022. According to KPMG Performance Insights, Khang gained more than half a stroke on approach shots (18th: +1.10) compared to last year (58th: +0.52). Khang bettered her average proximity to the hole on shots greater than 50 yards by two feet in 2023 which led to an increase in her birdie-or-better average per round (3.83 from 3.72).
Yin went from losing strokes to gaining strokes across all areas of her game (Total strokes gained – 175th: -0.44 to 43rd: +1.14). Yin also showed significant improvement in her short game and putting statistics.
As the field of LPGA competitors increases for 2024 with the addition of the top 10 players in the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card and the top 45 and ties from LPGA Q-Series, fans can look forward to new faces competing for the best golf scores on record.
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