2022 LPGA Year in Review

[woahnelly]

1 hour ago, MelloYello said:

 

Yeah, you could forgive someone for actually asking the most crazy of questions....is South Korea's dominance beginning to wane? 

 

Look at the Top-15 right now: 

 

 

J.Y. Ko is falling down the rankings. She needs to get healthy and do some damage control. Her game in Korea at the BMW was shaky. 

 

In Gee Chun seems to run hot and cold. She's a Top-10 talent going back 5+ years but its tough to tell how she'll maintain in 2023. 

 

H.J. Kim is obviously a great player but she's an older veteran that probably isn't destined to rise any higher than where she's currently at (#9). 

 

Maybe Min Ji Park gets hot? Maybe Lee6 makes a dramatic rise back into the Top-10 in 2023? 

 

 

There's a lot of diversity at the top again. US, Thai, China, NZ, Aussie, Japan, Canada, Ireland, France, etc. 

 

.

 

SK needs to infuse some new blood on the big tour, the rest of Asia is slowly catching up to their elites.

 

Hye Jin will be top 10 before long and would have won rookie of the year if not for the prodigious Jeeno in her class. Currently ranked 20, but ascending. 

 

Hae Ran is breezing through Q School, she will have an immediate impact on your. Will be surprised if she doesn't finish top 25 in the Globe next season.

 

Ina Yoon is suspended from the KLPGA (don't get me started) but managed to vault into the top 60 Rolex Rankings her rookie year. Fellow rookie Yewon Lee is ranked 45 ATM. 

 

I'm surprised Min Ji has not made the leap to the big tour yet as she continues to amass plenty of hardware on the KLPGA. Hopefully next season she makes the jump. 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by woahnelly

[ChronicSlicer]

3 hours ago, MelloYello said:

In Gee Chun seems to run hot and cold. She's a Top-10 talent going back 5+ years but its tough to tell how she'll maintain in 2023. 

 

 

.

Top 10 talent going back 5+ years who hasn't seen the top 10 since January of 2018, until this year. 🤔  ( Sorry @Argonne69 didn't mean to bring back those bad memories)

[ChronicSlicer]

2 hours ago, woahnelly said:

Hae Ran is breezing through Q School, she will have an immediate impact on your. Will be surprised if she doesn't finish top 25 in the Globe next season.

 

 

 

 

You remind of someone else around here...

[Argonne69]

2 minutes ago, ChronicSlicer said:

You remind of someone else around here...

 

Winning Q Series is a bit of a coin flip. Muni won it in 2019, and didn't make much of a splash. She appears to be sailing into the sunset. 

 

Na Rin won it last year and had a poor rookie season. 

 

6ix won it in 2018, and has had a decent career up to this point. 

 

[Argonne69]

20 minutes ago, ChronicSlicer said:

Top 10 talent going back 5+ years who hasn't seen the top 10 since January of 2018, until this year. 🤔  ( Sorry @Argonne69 didn't mean to bring back those bad memories)

 

Facts is facts. It's great to see her and Lydia back in good form, but In Gee definitely went through a rough patch. 

 

[woahnelly]

46 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Winning Q Series is a bit of a coin flip. Muni won it in 2019, and didn't make much of a splash. She appears to be sailing into the sunset. 

 

Na Rin won it last year and had a poor rookie season. 

 

6ix won it in 2018, and has had a decent career up to this point. 

 

 

By no means is it a merit of long term success, just pointing her out to those who may be unfamiliar with her 😅

 

I predict she will be closer to Hye Jin than An. Maybe even surpassing at one point based on her pedigree playing on the KLPGA. 

[Rapidcat]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Na Rin won it last year and had a poor rookie season. 

 

You don't think that's maybe a touch harsh there @Argonne69?

 

Na Rin finished 38th on the CME list with 5 top 10's, but I guess it depends on how you judge 'poor'.  I'd say maybe a touch underwhelming but that's just me. 

 

Wish she'd change her type of golf footwear though - makes her look like a hospital orderly 😄

 

 

[JungleJimbo]

42 minutes ago, Rapidcat said:

 

You don't think that's maybe a touch harsh there @Argonne69?

 

Na Rin finished 38th on the CME list with 5 top 10's, but I guess it depends on how you judge 'poor'.  I'd say maybe a touch underwhelming but that's just me. 

 

Wish she'd change her type of golf footwear though - makes her look like a hospital orderly 😄

 

 

@Rapidcat What's wrong with Na Rin An's shoes? (googled it, but didn't find any good pix of her shoes that would indicate being unfashionable... they look like typical Footjoys to me?).

 

I've always associated Skechers with nurse/orderly shoes ... they have a reputation for being super-comfortable (Skechers golf shoes = also not bad?)

 

https://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/image?family=editorial&phrase="Narin An" golf

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by JungleJimbo

[Rapidcat]

15 minutes ago, JungleJimbo said:

@Rapidcat What's wrong with Na Rin An's shoes?

 

Well @JungleJimbo, if you don't know.....😅

 

Reminds me of these popular amongst hospital workers:

They do look comfy though, so at least she's avoiding foot stress whilst having a poor rookie year 😉 

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Rapidcat

[Argonne69]

7 hours ago, Rapidcat said:

 

You don't think that's maybe a touch harsh there @Argonne69?

 

Na Rin finished 38th on the CME list with 5 top 10's, but I guess it depends on how you judge 'poor'.  I'd say maybe a touch underwhelming but that's just me. 

 

Wish she'd change her type of golf footwear though - makes her look like a hospital orderly 😄

 

 

 

Yeah, "poor" is probably a little harsh. She had a reasonable start to the year, but didn't have a top 20 in since mid-September. She withdrew from the Dana, so one has to wonder if injury was a factor. She finished 6th in the RoY race, which isn't horrible given the quality of the class this year. 

 

[MelloYello]

14 hours ago, ChronicSlicer said:

Top 10 talent going back 5+ years who hasn't seen the top 10 since January of 2018, until this year. 🤔  ( Sorry @Argonne69 didn't mean to bring back those bad memories)

 

In Gee was Top-3 in 2016 and then Top-5 in 2017. 

 

So again, going back 5+ years she did in fact rank as a top talent on Tour. 

 

14 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Facts is facts. It's great to see her and Lydia back in good form, but In Gee definitely went through a rough patch. 

 

 

Similar narrative to Lydia Ko >> on top, fell back, now on top again. 

 

My question with In Gee would be....is this a second, temporary peak or a return to her rightful place at the top? 

 

It seems funny to me that Lydia is viewed as belonging at the top but few would immediately claim the same for In Gee. 

 

IMHO, the elite (Top-3) spots will be occupied by winners in 2023 (and not just solid ball-strikers like Brooke or Lexi). Whether that's Nelly, Lydia, Jeeno, In Gee, Minjee or someone else, they're going to have to win to hold a spot up there. 

 

There's too much talent for someone like Lexi to just ball-strike her way into the elite Top-3. Top-10 maybe? Sure. But I think 2023 is going to be really interesting. Too many players with too many things to prove.

 

Will Nelly return to dominance? 

Was Minjee's good putting just temporary? 

Can Atthaya keep it up? 

Will In Gee keep winning? 

Can DK make her way back to elite status? 

Will JY Ko get healthy and return to form? 

Will we get a blast from the past? 

Will we get another young superstar? 

 

IDK, but I could see a half-dozen or more players winning POTY in 2023. 

 

.

Edited December 7, 2022 by MelloYello

[Titleist_PT23]

Lexi is an interesting case.  She hasn't won in 3+ years (no, I don't count Aramco).  But she's two back nines and a ruling away from having a dramatically different spot in the history books.

 

IMO, Lydia's place in the game in safe even if she "only" racks enough "other" wins to qualify for the LPGA HOF (or really, does nothing else).

 

Many others are still fighting and the story is yet to be determined.  A hot 1-2 year stretch or winning at the right time 1-2 more times will change a lot...

[Joselo]

very amazing lydia getting closer to hall of fame status

is someone else HOF potential ?  just nelly from the Top 10's?

[95124hacker]

Want to see more pairings of Narin An with Hyo-Joo Kim, and Paula Reto with Maria Fassi…. just so my eyes can do a double take!

 

I think Andrea Lee, Hannah Green, Gabby Lopez, and Pajaree Anannarukarn are poised to have a breakout year.

Edited December 7, 2022 by 95124hacker

[18majors]

On 12/7/2022 at 9:49 AM, Joselo said:

is someone else HOF potential ?  just nelly from the Top 10's?

 

 

Good question, I've been wanting to keep a tally.  As you know, Inbee Park is already a Hall of Famer:

                45                              22

Lydia Ko                              25 years old              25 HOF points

Yani Tseng                          34                              23

Cristie Kerr                          45                              22

Stacy Lewis                         37                              19

Jin Young Ko                       27                              18

Ariya Jutuanugarn              27                              17

Brooke Henderson              25                              14

Sei Young Kim                     29                              14

Lexi Thompson                    27                              13                         

Paula Creamer                     36                              11

Minjee Lee                           26                              10

Nelly Korda                          24                              10

 

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by 18majors

[MelloYello]

16 minutes ago, Joselo said:

very amazing lydia getting closer to hall of fame status

is someone else HOF potential ?  just nelly from the Top 10's?

 

Nelly's currently got 9/27 points, which to me feels like it's a long way away. 

 

The problem is that most of Nelly's 9 points came in 2021. While that shows how much a player can accomplish in one year, it's also unlikely a player repeats that. In 2021, Nelly had three regular wins (3), plus a major (2), plus a gold medal (1) all of which gave her 6 points. 

 

Maybe if she won three more majors (6), a couple POTY awards (2), and then won 10 other tourneys?

 

To reach HoF status one needs to be (A) prolific in the big items and (B) a constant winner:

 

>> Inbee Park had 21 wins, 7 of which were majors, 1 POTY award and 2 Vare Trophies. 

>> Lorena Ochoa had 4 POTY awards and 4 Vare Trophies. Lorena also had 27 wins. 

>> Lydia Ko has 19 wins and already had 2 POTY awards and 2 Vare Trophies. 

[MelloYello]

4 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

 

Good question, I've been wanting to keep a tally.  As you know, Inbee Park is already a Hall of Famer:

 

Lydia Ko                              25 years old              25 HOF points

Yani Tseng                          33                              23

Cristie Kerr                          45                              22

Stacy Lewis                         37                             19

Jin Young Ko                       27                              18

Ariya Jutuanugarn              27                              17

Brooke Henderson              25                              14

Sei Young Kim                     29                              14

Lexi Thompson                    27                              13

Paula Creamer                     36                              11

Minjee Lee                           26                              10

Nelly Korda                          24                               9

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the list!

 

Outside of Lydia Ko, who feels inevitable, the next most likely name I can see potentially doing it is Jin Young Ko. She's been a constant winner (when healthy). 9 more wins doesn't seem unrealistic if she's able to play well for another 5 years. 

 

I just don't see Brooke Henderson winning POTY awards or being good enough to grab a Vare Trophy in the future. I think Brooke could reach the 20s, but 27 points is a LONG way away. 

 

Nelly could, but it'd take more majors. 

[Medson]

3 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

Thanks for the list!

 

Outside of Lydia Ko, who feels inevitable, the next most likely name I can see potentially doing it is Jin Young Ko. She's been a constant winner (when healthy). 9 more wins doesn't seem unrealistic if she's able to play well for another 5 years. 

 

I just don't see Brooke Henderson winning POTY awards or being good enough to grab a Vare Trophy in the future. I think Brooke could reach the 20s, but 27 points is a LONG way away. 

 

Nelly could, but it'd take more majors. 

 

Agreed. JY Ko should get there assuming she becomes healthy again. 

 

On the women's side, hall of fame feels worthy. 

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Medson

[Argonne69]

I think Brooke will do it. She's an ironwoman, and should chalk up a win or two each year. Two or three majors aren't out of the question. 

 

Sei Young is possible as well, but she first needs to get out of her funk. 

 

Nelly is also on track. An "off" year due to injury doesn't change the fact that she's capable of multiple wins a year with a major or two. Unlike Lexi, she doesn't have any serious shortcomings in her game. 

 

[8602081]

I think InGee Chun has the best record for anyone that was not ranked #1

 

3 Majors and 1 tournament win in LPGA..

 

 

 

[MelloYello]

59 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

I think Brooke will do it. She's an ironwoman, and should chalk up a win or two each year. Two or three majors aren't out of the question. 

 

 

Brooke is 25 now. I think she'd have to play into her 30s for HoF. Maybe she will? 

 

She's 13 points away. If she could manage 1.5 wins per season (her career average) she'd need ~6.5 years to get that done. Is she going to be playing at 31 or 32? Any stumble adds more time, too.

 

Brooke's only chance to get it done by 30 would be to bag another couple majors and have a real stretch of dominance wherein she won 3-4 events in a season. Easier said than done but it's certainly possible. 

 

Do these ultra-successful young women on the LPGA actually want to play past 30 though? Tough to say when it starts to become a real grind. Plus, there's family stuff to worry about. Wins beyond 30 are few and far between, too. 

 

.

Edited December 7, 2022 by MelloYello

[AKL Kiwi]

2 hours ago, 18majors said:

 

 

Good question, I've been wanting to keep a tally.  As you know, Inbee Park is already a Hall of Famer:

 

Lydia Ko                              25 years old              25 HOF points

Yani Tseng                          33                              23

Cristie Kerr                          45                              22

Stacy Lewis                         37                             19

Jin Young Ko                       27                              18

Ariya Jutuanugarn              27                              17

Brooke Henderson              25                              14

Sei Young Kim                     29                              14

Lexi Thompson                    27                              13

Paula Creamer                     36                              11

Minjee Lee                           26                              10

Nelly Korda                          24                               9

 

 

 

 

@18majors Interesting stats thanks. If you look at any of these players careers to date none come even close to the number of records Lydia has broken and currently holds. She will certainly be a worthy HOF'er should she get there. Even Jeeno will only make it to RR#1 for a week as a teenager....Lydia held #1 spot for almost 80 weeks!  

[18majors]

3 minutes ago, AKL Kiwi said:

@18majors Interesting stats thanks. If you look at any of these players careers to date none come even close to the number of records Lydia has broken and currently holds. She will certainly be a worthy HOF'er should she get there. Even Jeeno will only make it to RR#1 for a week as a teenager....Lydia held #1 spot for almost 80 weeks!  

 

 

Yes, Lydia is one player that her record speaks for itself; you and I can shut up and stay quiet!

[pjc]

2 hours ago, 95124hacker said:

Want to see more pairings of Narin An with Hyo-Joo Kim, and Paula Reto with Maria Fassi…. just so my eyes can do a double take!

 

I think Andrea Lee, Hannah Green, Gabby Lopez, and Pajaree Anannarukarn are poised to have a breakout year.

Paula Reto is pretty smokin'.

[Medson]

1 hour ago, MelloYello said:

 

Brooke is 25 now. I think she'd have to play into her 30s for HoF. Maybe she will? 

 

She's 13 points away. If she could manage 1.5 wins per season (her career average) she'd need ~6.5 years to get that done. Is she going to be playing at 31 or 32? Any stumble adds more time, too.

 

Brooke's only chance to get it done by 30 would be to bag another couple majors and have a real stretch of dominance wherein she won 3-4 events in a season. Easier said than done but it's certainly possible. 

 

Do these ultra-successful young women on the LPGA actually want to play past 30 though? Tough to say when it starts to become a real grind. Plus, there's family stuff to worry about. Wins beyond 30 are few and far between, too. 

 

.

Lydia was able to rack up many points when she was young and caught second wind since 2021 and rack up more points. Now, she just needs 2 more for HoF. 

 

Outside of Lydia, my guess is nobody is "on track" for HoF. I know I mentioned JY Ko, but I just realized she's 27. And I'm not sure how serious her injuries are. 

 

Essentially, whoever on this list needs to play like top 10 level well into her 30s in order to make to HoF. Basically, someone similar to Inbee Park. 

[MelloYello]

8 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

 

Yes, Lydia is one player that her record speaks for itself; you and I can shut up and stay quiet!

 

That's why I was so disappointed we lost J.Y. Ko for so much of this season. Even when she played at the end, she clearly wasn't her real self. Her performance in Korea was definitely not up to her standard. 

 

When you look at the career resume of Lorena, Inbee, Lydia...you get a sense of just how absurdly good those players were. Basically, you become known by 1 name, LOL!

 

To me, J.Y. Ko's dominance at world #1 for a couple of years straight put her in shouting distance. There's nobody else who's got a real shot in my mind. I'm hoping J.Y. Ko comes back 100% next year just so we can watch another (potentially) great player in action. 

 

I'd love to say Nelly has a shot but she's already 24 which doesn't leave a lot of time before her inevitable exit. Look at Brooke. She's only 1 year older than Nelly yet she's got 5 more points.  

[MelloYello]

We might be getting to that point where we're not really going to see anyone dominate for long. Maybe 27 is too high a number now that the LPGA game is so much better than it was 10-15 years ago. 

 

For better or worse, the swings of today's players look perfect in comparison to some that I used to see. Players are a lot more powerful, too. 

 

27 might just be too unrealistic if you want a new person to get there every 5 years. 

[Joselo]

wish i was an lpga fan when Lorena used to play, barely acknwledge golf back then

 

her winning at the british Open the first time the home of golf allowed women to play a championship there, that was unreal.... wire to wire.

hope im not incorrect here

 

its like mexico going to brazil to won the world cup in their own soil

Edited December 7, 2022 by Joselo

[OnTheBag]

Someone above mentioned 30 years as a player threshold.  This is normal on the L for a variety of reasons.  Also of note is the recovery time for female golfers from injury as they age is historically longer.  Add that to the pull of family and most start looking for the exits around 30-35 years old.

 

As to In Gee, she is very private and I respect that.  However, she has battled recurring injuries since 2018.  When she's healthy, she's at the top.  When it hurts to swing or strike the ball, even the best waiver.

 

It is hard to put into words the magnitude of Lydia's consistency when things are going well.  Thankfully, she has finally reached the point in her life where she's comfortable rejecting the input of her "hangers on".  She has shed the shell of a teenaged prodigy and returned to the elite of the elite we all saw in her game 10 years ago.  

[OnTheBag]

1 minute ago, Joselo said:

wish i was an lpga fan when Lorena used to play,

Oh she was something to watch.  The final round of the '06 Samsung was a real treat.  Annika and Lorena at their best on a great track.