Hae Ran Ryu named LPGA Rookie of the Year

Field Level Media|published: Mon 13th November, 11:45 2023

Hae Ran Ryu tees off on the first hole during the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship on the Prospector Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in Gold Canyon on March 26, 2023. Lpga At Superstition Mountain Final Round credits: Alex Gould/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Hae Ran Ryu has won the 2023 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award, the LPGA Tour announced Monday.

The 22-year-old South Korean clinched the honor after tying for 12th at The Annika on Sunday.

With 893 total points entering the CME Group Tour Championship, she holds an insurmountable 274-point lead over Grace Kim of Australia.

"I'm honored to earn the Rookie of the Year award and add my name to the prestigious list of winners before me. This year has been a memorable one, and I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish on the LPGA Tour," Ryu said in a news release. "I'm forever grateful to my team and fans for their support over my first season, and I can't wait to close out the year at the CME Group Tour Championship."

Ryu is the sixth player from South Korea to earn the honor since 2015, the first since Jeongeun Lee in 2019.

Ryu recorded her first LPGA Tour victory at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in September. She has five other top-10 finishes and enters the season's final week ranked second in greens in regulation (75.7 percent) and third in birdies (314). She has earned more than $1.5 million this season.

Ryu will receive her Rookie of the Year award at the 2023 Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony on Thursday in Naples, Fla.

—Field Level Media