The LPGA Tour announced today that Jeongeun Lee6 has won the 2019 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award. Lee6, who won the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, clinched the honor following her tie for eighth at last week’s Volunteers of America Classic. Lee6 has earned 1,273 points and holds an insurmountable 756-point lead over second-place Kristen Gillman with five events left in the 2019 season.
“For five consecutive years, Korean golfers have won this Rookie of the Year award. I’m part of that list, and I am so proud and honored,” said Lee6, 23. “This is all thanks to those players who came before me, who have all given me so much advice.
Since the season is almost over, I want to finish strong for the rest of our tournaments and perform well.” Lee6 is the 13th player from the Republic of Korea to capture the honor and the fifth consecutive, following Jin Young Ko (2018), Sung Hyun Park (2017), In Gee Chun (2016) and Sei Young Kim (2015).
Lee6 earned 2019 LPGA Tour Membership after taking medalist honors at the inaugural Q-Series in 2018. In June, she became a Rolex First-Time Winner when she won the U.S. Women’s Open, becoming the 19th player in championship history to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA Tour victory.
She also has runner-up finishes at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer and Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, along with 10 other top-20 finishes.
She currently sits fourth in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. With five events left in the season, Lee6 is second on the LPGA Official Money List with $1,913,357, behind only four-time winner and 2018 Rookie of the Year Jin Young Ko. She is also second in the Rolex Player of the Year standings behind Ko and was runner-up to Ko in the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award standings.
Lee6 is in the top 10 in scoring average (No. 5, 69.6), birdies (No. 8, 305), eagles (No. 8, nine), greens in regulation (No. 10, 75%), rounds in the 60s (No. 6, 35) and rounds under par (No. 3, 58).
Prior to joining the LPGA Tour, Lee6 was a member of the Korean LPGA Tour from 2016-18. She won six KLPGA events, including major championships at the 2018 Hanwha Classic and 2018 KB Financial Star Championship, and led the KLPGA money list in 2017 and 2018.
Lee6’s unusual last name comes from the fact that she is the sixth player in KLPGA history named Jeongeun Lee. She has embraced the moniker, emblazoning it on her clothing and golf bag, and even naming her official Korean fan club “Lucky Six.” Lee6 will receive the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award at the 2019 Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony, to be held Thursday, Nov. 21, at Tiburon Golf Club during the week of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
Since its inception in 1962, 10 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year winners have become members of the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame: Joanne Carner (1970), Jan Stephenson (1974), Amy Alcott (1975), Nancy Lopez (1978), Beth Daniel (1979), Patty Sheehan (1981), Juli Inkster (1984), Annika Sorenstam (1994), Karrie Webb (1996) and Se Ri Pak (1998).
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2019.10.10 11:25
2019.10.10 12:16
It appears, Dr. Hwang, that South Korea is becoming a mecca for women's golf.
We might as well establish the world's LPGA headquarters in SK, and
all the girls who want to be professional golfers should go to SK for training.
2019.10.10 13:19
Rookies of the year in LPGA and PGA were Korean players 2019.
Rolex World Rankings 1, 2, and 3 in LPGA were owned by Korean
players 2 weeks ago, which was 1st time in history. Korean born
LPGA players have won 14 times out of 27 tournaments thus far.
World Rankings No.1, Jinyoung Ko has led just about every stats
in LPGA this year including official money, Race to CME Globe,
Scoring Average, and Rolex player of the year!
This is such a dominance by one country! Thanks for your comment! KJ
2019.10.12 22:30
Jeongeun Lee6 won coveted Rookie of the year,2019 in LPGA.
Korean players have won this award for 5 cosecutive years
and 13 Korean players in total.
Ever since she won this year's US Open in LPGA,she was
runaway favorite for this award and she got it even though
5 more tournaments left for this season.
Here are names of 13 Korean players, who have won this award.
박세리(1998년), 김미현(1999년), 한희원(2001년), 안시현(2004년), 이선화
(2006년), 신지애(2009년), 서희경(2011년), 유소연(2012년), 김세영(2015),
전인지(2016),박성현(2017), 고진영(1018), 이정은6(2019).
Congratulation to Jeongeun Lee6 and all other winners! KJ