2018 was a very exciting year for the LPGA tour. There were a record number of first-time winners. There were rookie winners. There were winners from several different countries. There were several tournaments that needed extra holes to determine the winner. There were 5 different major championship winners that came from 5 different countries. There were two pairs of sisters that each recorded victories. All in all, it was one of the most interesting seasons ever.
Let’s take a look at the 2018 LPGA Season:
NINE PLAYERS WHO WON THEIR FIRST LPGA TOURNAMENT
Pernilla Lindberg – ANA Inspiration
Moriya Jutanugarn – HUGEL-JTBC Open
Annie Park – ShopRite LPGA Classic
Nasa Hataoka – Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and Toto Japan Classic
Thidapa Suwannapura – Marathon Classic
Georgia Hall – Ricoh Women’s British Open
Marina Alex – Cambia Portland Classic
Nelly Korda – Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Classic
Gabby Lopez – Blue Bay LPGA
Note: Jin Young Ko’s victory is not included in the above count as she won in 2017 as a non-LPGA member.
TWO ROOKIE WINNERS
Jin Young Ko – ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open
Georgia Hall – Ricoh Women’s British Open
WINNERS FROM TEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
United States – 9 winners – Brittany Lincicome, Jessica Korda, Michelle Wie, Annie Park, Marina Alex, Angela Stanford, Danielle Kang, Nelly Korda, and Lexi Thompson.
South Korea – 7 winners – Jin Young Ko, Inbee Park, Eun-Hee Ji, Sung Hyun Park (3), So Yeon Ryu, Sei Young Kim, and In Gee Chun
Thailand – 3 winners – Moriya Jutanugarn, Ariya Jutanugarn (3), Thidapa Suwannapura.
Canada – 1 winner – Brooke Henderson (2)
Japan – 1 winner – Nasa Hataoka (2)
Sweden – 1 winner – Pernilla Lindberg
New Zealand – 1 winner – Lydia Ko
Australia – 1 winner – Minjee Lee
England – 1 winner – Georgia Hall
Mexico – 1 winner – Gabby Lopez
Lexi Thompson and Ariya Jutanugarn at the CME Group Tour Championship presentation ceremony | Photo by Ben Harpring
FIVE DIFFERENT MAJOR WINNERS FROM FIVE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Pernilla Linberg – (ANA Inspiration) – Sweden
Ariya Jutanugarn – (U.S. Women’s Open Championship) – Thailand
Sung Hyun Park – (KMPG Women’s PGA Championship) – South Korea
Georgia Hall – (Ricoh Women’s British Open) – England
Angela Stanford (The Evian Championship) – United States
SEVEN TOURNAMENTS WERE DECIDED IN A PLAYOFF
ANA Inspiration – Pernilla Lindberg defeated Inbee Park and Jennifer Song
LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship – Lydia Ko defeated Minjee Lee
Kingsmill Championship – Ariya Jutanugarn defeated Nasa Hataoka and In Gee Chun
U.S. Women’s Open Championship – Ariya Jutanugarn defeated Hyo Joo Kim
KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – Sung Hyun Park defeated Nasa Hataoka and So Yeon Ryu
Marathon Classic – Thidapa Suwannapura defeated Brittany Lincicome
Indy Women in Tech Championship – Sung Hyun Park defeated Lizette Salas
FOUR MULTIPLE WINNERS
Ariya Jutanugarn – Three wins
Sung Hyun Park – Three wins
Brooke Henderson – Two wins
Nasa Hataoka – Two wins
TWO PAIRS OF SISTERS WON ON THE 2018 LPGA TOUR
Jessica and Nelly Korda
Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn
Note: Before this year only one sister act (Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam) had won on the LPGA tour in its history.
There you have it. It was quite a year. Here’s hoping that 2019 will be even better!
Tony
Editor: All LPGA photos by Ben Harpring. Thanks for a great year on tour Ben!
