The LPGA has played its last official tournament for the year. The 2024 season has now come to a close, and what a season it was. There were records set in many different categories. It turned out to be one of the most exciting seasons ever!
I have put together all the important stats from the season that has just ended. Not just the obvious ones, but some numbers that you probably will not find anywhere else.
Starting with the winners of the major awards:
Player of the Year – Nelly Korda
The Vare Trophy – Ayaka Furue
Rookie of the Year – Mao Saigo
Note: Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda finished first and second in the Vare Trophy standings, but did not complete enough rounds to qualify for the trophy.
Non Major Awards:
Aon Risk/Reward – Jeeno Thitikul took home the $1 million prize.
The Annika Major Award (player who had the best performance in all five Majors) – Nelly Korda.
Most Wins: Nelly Korda 7 (Lydia Ko, Hannah Green, Ruoning Yin each were runner-ups with 3).
Note: Nelly played in just 16 tournaments. She won an amazing 43.75% of her starts.
Lydia also won the Gold Medal at the Olympic Games.
Most top five finishes: Nelly Korda -9 (of 16 starts 56.25%), Haeran Ryu -9 (of 26 starts 34.62%).
Most top ten finishes: Haeran Ryu -13.
Best top ten percentage: Jeeno Thitikul -70.6% (12 0f 17) Nelly Korda 68.3 % (11of 16).
Most top twenty-five finishes: Ayaka Furue – 18.
Best top 25 percentage: Jeeno Thitikul 82.4% (14 of 17).
Most wins by country:
USA – 12 (also won the Solheim Cup)
Thailand – 6
Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand, Korea -3
For those of you who love long hitters (minimum 50 rounds):
Maria Fassi – 276.88 yards, Bianca Pandanganan 276.13 yards, Auston Kim, 275.85 yards, A Lim Kim 274.18 yards, Nataliya Guseva 273.89 yards.
Note: The only player on the above list to win this year was A Lim Kim. LPGA rookie Nataliya Guseva was by far the most consistent with two second place finishes and six top tens.
Some Other Notable Statistics:
- Jeeno Thitikul led the tour in Greens in Regulation 77.20%. When hitting from fairway 83.17%.
- Yuna Nishimura led the tour in sand saves. She saved par 62.24% of the time.
- Jeeno Thitikul (1.75) and Nelly Korda (1.76) led the tour in putts per greens in regulation.
- Lucy Li and Linnea Strom had the lowest rounds of the year – 60.
- No player on tour went the full season without missing a cut. Ayaka Furue (23 of 24) came the closest. Although Lilia Vu did not miss a cut in her thirteen starts, she withdrew from two events.
- Jasmine Suwannapura teed it up 30 times, most of any player on tour.
- Players that finished the highest in the Race for the CME Globe standings without a win:
- Mao Saigo – 9th, Sei Young Kim – 10th.
- Players that finished the lowest in the Race for the CME Globe standings that did have a win:
- Linnea Strom – fifty-sixth, Bailey Tardy fifty-first.
- Player that ended the season with the longest cut streak – Ariya Jutanugarn (made 15 straight).
- Player that missed the most cuts this season – Isabella Fierro with 17.
- Rio Takeda was the only Non LPGA member to win on tour this year.
- There were 6 tournaments that were decided by a playoff, and 11 others decided by one stroke.
- Nelly Korda ended the season the way she started it, as the hottest player on tour. She finished 2nd, 5th, 1st, and 5th, in her last four tournaments.
- Nelly Korda finished the season as the number one player in the world. Her lead is so large that the number two player (Ruoning Yin) is closer to the 110th rank player than she is to Nelly in first.
The LPGA will now be off for the next seven weeks. They recently announced their 2025 schedule. It will consist of 33 official tournaments and the International Crown. I will be back sometime after the Q-Series is completed with my Top 40 Player Predictions.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.
Feature Photo: Nelly Korda at presentation ceremony for the 2024 Mizuho Americas Open. All photos by Ben Harpring.
