By: Max Bechtoldt
Trying to pick a Player of the Year winner on the LPGA Tour preseason is a tough gig. The tour is so deep and flooded with new talent every season. Who could’ve seen Lilia Vu’s electric winning season in 2023 coming before the year? Last season the top four finishers all came relatively out of nowhere with Celine Boutier finishing in second, Ruoning Yin in third and Allisen Corpuz in fourth. All that being said, these are the players with the tools to win the 2024 LPGA Tour Player of the Year:
5. Lilia Vu – The reigning champion was incredible in her breakout season. Vu bookended the majors, winning The Chevron Championship and The AIG Women’s Open. Aside from her huge major success, Vu had six total top-five finishes and two additional wins. Her strength really comes from her approach, as she was top 10 in greens in regulation and converted her birdies, finishing second in putts per greens in regulation. Despite some missed cuts in the middle of the schedule, Vu still finished third in scoring average.
4. Linn Grant – I think anyone who watched Grant’s third round 62 at The Dana Open understands why she is a prime candidate to take that jump from rising star to superstar in 2024. While this may be the “bold pick” of this list, the stats back it up. Despite only playing about half the season, Grant had four top-10 finishes compared to only one missed cut. She won The Dana Open and for the season had the eighth best scoring average on tour. Her success mostly comes from her power as she was second in strokes gained off the tee for players who qualified with enough rounds. Her putting has to improve if she wants to take this leap, but the talent is there.
3. Hyo Joo Kim – I have written previously about how Hyo Joo Kim is the most underrated player on the LPGA Tour, and her consistency in Player of the Year standings backs it up. Kim finished quietly in fifth last year and seventh the year before. Her overall consistency is striking as she hasn’t missed a cut since September 2022, and has 11 top 10s in that time frame. If she were to win this award, she does have to win more tournaments, as she only has two wins in the last two years, but she puts herself in position so often that it’s possible.
2. Jin Young Ko – Jin Young Ko is a phenomenal player, probably the greatest player of her generation, but I still think many are waiting for her to return to the 2019 form that won four tournaments including two major championships. She hasn’t won a major since that magical season, but I think that drought comes to an end here. Ko had two wins in 2023 and only missed one cut. She was of course one of the best on approach shots as always, finishing third in strokes gained approach for qualifying players. Ko’s putting was rock solid as well, as she was top-20 in strokes gained short game. If her putter gets hot, she is nearly impossible to beat.
1. Minjee Lee – The 2022 runner-up for LPGA Player of the Year followed her success up with a rock-solid 2023 season. Lee won twice, both toward the end of the year, and had an additional three top 10s. Despite a rough start to the season, Lee still finished in the top 10 for Player of the Year. While her putting was poor in 2023, she finished 14th in strokes gained driving and first in strokes gained approach. Lee was third in greens in regulation and sixth in average proximity. Stats like that will go a long way to covering up a putting weakness. Lee is probably the best active player never to have won this award, and with her strong finish to the 2023 season, I think that changes soon.
