It’s still pretty early in the season as the LPGA has completed about 25% of its 2022 schedule, but I don’t think it is too early to take a look at some of the players with results that have been the biggest surprises and biggest disappointments of the year so far.

A player that is very highly ranked and is having a great season would not make this list as I had high expectations for that person. In the same way, a player who had a bad season last year and is having another one now, would not make this list because expectations were lowered.

With that in mind, here are my early season choices:

Biggest Surprises this Year:

1- Nanna Koerstz Madsen – Nanna is in my opinion the biggest surprise so far this year. She not only won her first LPGA tournament, but also lost in a playoff the following week. She has 1 win, a second place finish, 3 top tens, and 5 top 25 finishes in just 6 starts. A bomber on the LPGA Tour, she is averaging 282 yards off the tee which ranks second on the LPGA. Her scoring average of 68.86 is also second. To top it all off, she now sits in second place in the Rolex Player of the Year race.

2- Jennifer Kupcho – A top collegiate player, we all knew that one day Jennifer was going to be a star. What we didn’t expect was her making her first LPGA victory last weekend a Major Championship! She is currently in the top spot on the LPGA Tour for the Rolex Player of the year. She also is No.1 in Greens in regulation, and is also on the top of this year’s money list. She has vaulted to No. 3 in points for a spot on the USA Solheim Team. Expect her to be on that team next year.

3- Atthaya Thitikul – In a year that is loaded with outstanding LPGA rookies, Atthaya has been the standout so far this year. Not only did she get her first LPGA victory, she has 2 top fives, three top tens, and 5 top twenty-fives, in just 6 starts. She ranks 4^th in the player of the year race and 6^th in scoring average.

4- Maude-Aimee Leblanc – Maude is a 33 year old veteran who has had to fight every year to keep her playing privileges. In fact, she lost those privileges after the 2020 season and had to go back to the Epson Tour where she finished in that tour’s top ten and regained her LPGA Tour card. This year it has been a different story. She has two top ten finishes in her first four starts of the year. She has hit nearly 77% of her greens this year, which ranks 7^th on tour. Another of the tour’s big bombers, she is averaging 277 yards off the tee.

5- Amy Yang – Amy has been a solid player for a very long time now and maybe a surprise to some that she is on this list. She is on my list here because she has fallen off some the past few years. She had not been able to keep her drives on the fairway, and was unable to break the top 100 in that category. As a result, her status as a top player had diminished somewhat. Not this year though. Amy has come storming back. In 6 starts, she has 1 top five, three top tens, and 4 top twenty-fives. She also has recorded 14 rounds in the 60’s.

6- Sara Schmelzel – Not a household name. Many of my readers might not know who she is. In six starts this year she has finished 3^rd, 13^th, 21^st, 25^th, and 27^th. She has not missed a single cut. Her scoring average of 70.17 puts her in the top 20 on tour. She is currently looking good to land a spot on the 2023 USA Solheim Cup team.

Honorable mentions: Leona Maguire, Celine Boutier.

Players with Disappointing Results So Far this Year:

1- Yu Liu – A very solid player for quite some time on the LPGA Tour, Yu looks completely lost so far this year. She has teed it up six times this year and has yet to register a top 30 finish. If that wasn’t bad enough, she has already missed four cuts. She ranks 93^rd in hitting greens and 100 in putting. Not a good combination and that has led to a scoring average of 72.56 which is 107^th on tour.

2- Anna Nordqvist – A veteran and three time Major Championship winner, Anna is off to the worst start of her career. In five starts this year she has failed to register a top twenty-five finish. Normally a very solid putter, she ranks 117^th in that category this year. Her scoring average so far this season is 72.37, which ranks 102^nd on tour.

3- Mirim Lee – A major champion just a few short years ago, Mirim has completely lost her game this year. She has yet to finish in the top twenty-five, and has missed four cuts in five starts. She ranks near the bottom in just about every LPGA category. She is 129^th in driving accuracy, 138^th in greens hit, 118^th in putting, and her scoring average is a horrific 75.0 (136^th on tour).

4- Mina Harigae – Coming off one of her finest seasons where she was a USA Solheim Team member, 2022 has been a real struggle thus far. She has not had a top 20 finish and has already missed three cuts. She has only been able to hit 62% of her greens (125^th on tour), which has led to a scoring average of 72.11 which is 90^th on the LPGA.

5- Amy Olson – A veteran player, but never a big star on the LPGATour, Amy has been lost so far this year. She has averaged over 30 putts per round (101^st on tour) and has a scoring average of 72.82 which is ranked 113^th. She has failed to finish better than 59^th and has missed 2 cuts. I look for Amy to turn her season around shortly.

Other Players with Disappointing Results So Far this Season:

Ariya Jutanugarn, Sei Young Kim, Bronte Law.

The season is still young and there is still plenty of golf to be played including four more Major Championships. The above players will have ample time to turn their seasons around. I will revisit this subject later on this season.

Feature Photo: Jennifer Kupcho at the 2021 Solheim Cup. All photos in this article are by LPGA Tour/Epson Tour photographer Ben Harpring.