The LPGA has now completed about two thirds of its 2024 schedule. It has been a very interesting year. There have been:
- Winners from 8 different countries
- 3 tournaments that resulted in a playoff
- 3 first time winners
- 7 tournaments decided by one stroke
Like all other seasons, this year has had its share of surprises and disappointments.
The BIGGEST SURPRISES so far in 2024
1. Nelly Korda – Nelly came into the 2024 season having won eight times in her first seven years on tour. She had just one single victory in the past two seasons. Appearing healthy this year, there was every reason for us to think that she could win a time or two. We didn’t expect her to make LPGA history. In 2024 Nelly won five consecutive starts and six wins in seven starts. She has wrapped up Player of the Year honors and with one third of the LPGA schedule yet to be played, she can still add to this amazing season. She will also be competing in the Olympic Games, where she will be defending the gold medal she won four years ago.
2. Ayaka Furue – Ayaka is in her third season on the LPGA tour. Her first two seasons on tour were very solid and included her first victory. We expected her to have another similar season, but what she has accomplished this year has been beyond expectations. Not only has she picked up her second LPGA win, but leads the entire tour with nine top ten finishes. Amazingly, she has finished in the top twenty-five in fourteen of her seventeen starts, while missing just one cut. Her 69.84 scoring average leads the LPGA, and she would be the Vare Trophy winner if the season ended today.
3. Lauren Coughlin – Lauren is in her seventh year on the LPGA Tour and has played in over 100 tournaments without a win…..until this past week when Lauren broke through by winning the CPKC open. Lauren has five top ten finishes this year and has registered thirty-four rounds under par which ranks second on tour.
4. Mao Saigo – Coming into the 2024 season we knew that getting top rookie honors was going to be a great accomplishment because of the stiff competition. That honor is still up for grabs, but Saigo has now jumped into the lead by a pretty good margin. She has four top ten finishes (2nd at the CPKC this past week), eight top twenties, and her 70.51 scoring average ranks fifth among all LPGA players.
5. Nataliya Guseva – If Q-School isn’t tough enough, Nataliya earned two tour cards that way last year. Following six rounds at the LPGA final qualifying, where she shot twelve under par, she earned her 2024 LPGA card. Just two weeks later she finished number one at the LET (Ladies European Tour) final stage of qualifying. In just eleven starts on the LPGA Tour this season she has three top tens and five top twenty finishes. One of the biggest bombers on tour, her driving average of over 275 yards ranks her fifth. Her scoring average of 71.23 ranks thirty-third among LPGA players.
The BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS so far in 2024
1. Danielle Kang – One of the top LPGA players for almost a decade, Danielle is nowhere to be found this year. In her thirteen starts this year she has only seen the weekend seven times. She has just one top twenty finish and her scoring average of 74.34 ranks 162nd on the LPGA Tour.
2. Celine Boutier – Celine claimed superstar status on the LPGA when she won four times last year, including a Major Championship. This year she has all but disappeared. Last year she finished second in the Player of the Year race; she is currently forty-seventh. Her scoring average has gone up a full stroke per round when compared to last season. Not only hasn’t she won this year, but she has just one top ten finish.
3. Leona Maguire – Maguire has been one of the most consistent players on the LPGA Tour the last few years. The past two seasons she had won twice and accumulated fourteen top ten finishes. This year has been another story, as she has just 1 top ten finish. Last season she made 19 of 20 cuts, but this season she has missed three cuts in the majors alone. Her scoring average of 71.53 is not bad until you compare it to last season when it was a sparkling 70.45.
4. Matilda Castren – A star for the European Solheim Cup Team just two years ago, she has just fallen off a cliff this season. In fourteen starts she has missed the cut ten times. In fact, she has just one finish in the top sixty! Her scoring average of 73.69 is 158th on tour.
5. Team Korea – I don’t want to single out any one player here because no one’s game has been poor enough to make this list. The problem is how can Amy Yang be the only winner from a country that has so many really good players? If only nine holes were played on Sunday they would have multiple wins. Can a whole country go into a slump for a long period of time? I say yes, as the USA struggled for the better part of a decade. Looking at their roster you have to believe this will change soon. We will have to wait to see how soon.
Feature Photo: Nataliya Guseva at the 2024 JM Eagle LA Championship. All photos by Ben Harpring.
