Believe it or not we are halfway through the 2025 LPGA Tour season, so let’s take a look back at the first six months of play this week, starting with the breakout player of the year:
There are a few options for breakout player of the year so far, but I think the truest answer is probably Somi Lee. In 2024, Lee made just 16/27 cuts and had one top-10 finish on the year. She finished No. 71 in the CME Standings and struggled to get any rhythm on the season.
There were high points, she had top-15 finishes in LA, Boston and Hawaii, plus a top-five in Portland, but for the most part they were not against the strongest fields.
Now, in 2025, Lee has been a fixture on leaderboards. She just won her first event on Tour at the Dow Championship alongside Jin Hee Im. She has made 13/14 cuts and has four top-10 finishes. She ranks No. 6 in the CME Standings and has already earned double the points she did in her rookie season.
In her last seven starts, she has finished in the top 12 in six of them. She has four top-eight finishes in her last five events, three of them being top fives. Despite not even making it into the field of the U.S. Open just about a month ago, she has been one of the most consistent players on the Tour.
She is No. 4 in total strokes gained this year, doing much of her damage in the ball striking categories. She hits a lot of greens and is an above average putter. She gains strokes in every category and is No. 2 on the tour in sub-par rounds. She is third in birdies and has 19 rounds in the 60s.
I don’t think many people saw this type of season coming from Lee. This has been a fantastic start to her second season on Tour.
