Lydia Ko is 16 years old and technically a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2014. She was the No 1 ranked women’s amateur in the world for over three years.
Ko won four professional tournaments around the world while still an amateur, including two wins on the LPGA Tour. She announced her intention to turn professional in October and LPGA Tour Commissioner Michael Whan immediately offered a full exemption to the tour.
She played in her first event as a professional in the CME Titleholders in November and won the Swinging Skirts Ladies Masters in Taiwan in her second start as a professional.
She is the prohibitive favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award on the LPGA Tour, but here are three other young ladies that may have something to say about that.
Jaye Marie Green announced her presence to the LPGA Tour by shattering the Q-School tournament record. She was 29-under par for five rounds and finished ten shots ahead of the runner-up.
At 19-years-old Green is still a teenager, but played a full schedule on the Symetra Tour last year. In 15 starts last year, she recorded four top-10 finishes.
With a year of professional golf under her belt and a dominating performance at Q-School look for Green to get off to a hot start in 2014.
Janet Lin from China brings a ton of experience and game to the LPGA Tour. She is only 17-years-old and already has three wins on the China Ladies Professional Golf Tour.
Lin finished T-17 in the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open and T-23 in the 2013 Reignwood LPGA Classic held in China.
The inaugural Reignwood was won by Lin’s good friend and fellow countrywoman Shanshan Feng.
Giulia Molinaro from Italy was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2012 and earned First Team All-American honors as a member of the Arizona State Women’s Golf Team.
She played in 15 events on the 2013 Symetra Tour. Molinaro had one win and five top-10 finishes.
She earned her 2014 LPGA Tour privileges by finishing second on the Symetra Tour’s season-long Volvik Race to the Card and was named the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year.
Add young players like, Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Pornanong Phatlum and the Jutanugarn sisters, the LPGA Tour appears to have a strong stable of extremely talented players for the future.