The 'four Japanese players' who are ahead of Yoon Na for the LPGA Rookie Award... They are very talented
The 'four Japanese players' who are ahead of Yoon Na for the LPGA Rookie Award... They are very talented
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"He's a long hitter who hits long distances, and it was impressive how he managed the game simply. He's really good at it."
Yang Hee-young commented on his performance after playing against Takeda Rio of Japan, who led him to the top spot in the Rookie of the Year award of the LPGA Tour in the 2025 season.
Ahead of the opening of the LPGA tour in 2025, Japan was expecting a five-way race between the four Japanese players and Korea's representative Yoon In-na. Early in the season, Japan's upward trend is notable. Japanese players are sweeping the ranks from Rio Takeda (114 points), second Akie Iwai (80 points), third-ranked Miyu Yamashita (70 points), and fourth-ranked Sujito Iwai (26 points). Yoon In-na failed to win points for the Rookie of the Year award as she failed to make the cut at the Founders Cup earlier this month.
Notably, Rio is showing off strong performance as well as slugging power. He has already topped the top 10 twice in the three competitions he participated in this season.
In order to evaluate long hitters on the LPGA tour, they need to hit at least 275 yards on average. Twenty players have recorded 270 yards or more this season. Rio ranks 33rd with 266.29 yards on average. He is not the owner of huge long hitters, but he is in the upper and middle ranks.
He is also ranking high in various records. He garnered a total of 43 birdies in the three competitions, ranking 10th in this category and No. 7 in the 60s, showing off consistent performance as No. 1 overall.
Having many championship experiences gives her another advantage. She had seven wins at the JLPGA last year alone and also won the Toto Japan Classic in LPGA. She will participate as a rookie this year, but having won multiple titles at a big stage is a powerful weapon.
Yang Hee-young, who played in the same group with Rio on the last day of Honda Thailand, said, "The most impressive thing was that the game was very simple," adding, "It caught my eye to solve the game without worrying about it for a long time on the course."
EY displayed explosive power by recording double-digit under pars twice in the first and fourth rounds of the Honda Thailand. Notably, EY was able to keep up with the lead by four shots on the last day. More than anything, EY stood out by calmly chasing the lead despite the crowd of more than 15,000 fans. "I played in front of the biggest number of fans today. It was interesting," EY said.
Miyu, the third-ranked rookie of the year, recorded an average of 60 pars for the third consecutive year, including △69.9714 pars in 2022 △ 69.4322 pars in 2023 △ 69.1478 pars in 2024. Although she has not displayed an impressive performance on the LPGA Tour yet, she is capable of winning the title anytime.
Rio and Miu will participate in the HSBC Women's World Championship, which will take place in Singapore from July 27, and start hunting for victory once again. Only two candidates for the rookie award will participate. EY plans to return to the tour at the Ford Championship, which will take place in Arizona in March. 메이저사이트
Although it is still early in the season, Yoon needs a strategy to narrow the gap and pursue the Japanese team. As she finished eighth in the qualifying series last year, she has many restrictions on her ability to participate in the competition. She cannot participate in competitions that are based on last year's performance, such as those in Thailand and Singapore. She can participate if she receives a sponsor's recommendation, but she has yet to create an opportunity. Yuna, who debuted at the Founders Cup earlier this month, will take almost a month off to take part in the Blue Bay LPGA in China from March 6.
The small number of participating competitions is unfavorable to Yoon In-na, who is competing for the rookie award. Points for Rookie Artist of the Year are selected by receiving points determined according to the performance of each competition and adding up to the final score of the season. In general competitions, winners are awarded 150 points, second 80 points, and third 75 points. Up to the 40th place, the top players receive 10 points, and major competitions receive twice as many points as general competitions.
To narrow the gap with Japanese players, Korea needs to steadily rise to the top ranks. Since Korea does not have many chances to participate in the championship, targeting major competitions that receive twice as many points can be a strategy to shake up the competition for the Rookie of the Year award.