The world of women’s golf was never short of drama in 2019. Now as we welcome the start of a new decade, here are ten players we think will create even more of a stir in 2020.
The world of women’s golf was never short of drama in 2019. Now as we welcome the start of a new decade, here are ten players we think will create even more of a stir in 2020.
By Charlotte Ibbetson
Happy New Year W&G-ers! It would be easy to argue that women’s golf – and certainly women’s sport in general – went through a bit of a moment last year. Never have we seen the spotlight fall on female sport quite as much as it did then. Yes, I think there’s still a long way to go before we feel truly equal to our male counterparts, but in general, I am quietly positive about what this new decade will hold. And as we welcome in the new year with open arms, here are 10 women who I think might just make enough waves to change the game for good …
Nelly Korda
Number three in the Rolex World Rankings, 21-year-old Nelly Korda had the most top 10 finishes on the LPGA Tour last year. The American certainly ended 2019 on a high; she claimed an impressive win at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA and a tie for third at the CME Group Tour Championship. But despite top 10 finishes in three of the five, she’s yet to claim stake to a Major – but could that change in 2020?
Jin Young Ko
Quickly scan through the LPGA Tour statistics and you could be forgiven for thinking there’s a mistake, as Jin Young Ko features in almost every field: highest official money earner, Race to CME Globe winner, best scoring average, Rolex Player of Year … the list goes on. She’s also held the title of world number one since July, with no signs of slowing down. Just three players have held on to the top spot for a whole calendar year – Lorena Ochoa in 2008, Yani Tseng in 2012 and Lydia Ko in 2016 – and I have a feeling that JY Ko might add her name to that list come the summer.
Brooke Henderson
Brooke Henderson has been a consistent winner on the LPGA Tour, and now she’s in the running to be titled one of the LPGA’s best players of the decade. That’s no small feat considering she’s only been on the scene since 2015 – though even then she burst onto it in dramatic fashion. The Canadian won the first event she played in as a professional, the Four Winds Invitational on the Symetra Tour, then she finished fifth at the U.S. Women’s Open. She’s won at least once every year since turning pro, and when she won the Meijer Classic in June – the third time she successfully defended an LPGA title – it was her ninth victory on Tour. But have we seen the best of the most accomplished golfer in Canada? My guess is not just yet.
Anne Van Dam
2019 LPGA Rookie, Anne Van Dam topped the charts as the longest hitter on both the LET and LPGA Tours last year – and she does it with an almost immaculate swing. Whilst she’s yet to claim a victory on the LPGA Tour, the 24-year-old has five LET wins under her belt, the last of which came in November when she successfully defended her Spanish Open title. We saw her profile grow significantly in last year’s Solheim Cup, with her matches now being coined ‘The Van Dam Show’, proving she’s got a lot more to give in 2020.
Esther Henseleit
Esther Henseleit shot a course record eight-under to seal the deal at the inaugural Magical Kenya Ladies Open – a one-shot victory that saw her clinch the LET Tour Order of Merit title in dramatic fashion. The 20-year-old rookie from Hamburg is only the third player in history to claim both the Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year titles in the same season, following in the footsteps of Dame Laura Davies in 1985 and Carlota Ciganda in 2012. With one win and eight top 10 finishes this year, we’re pretty sure the best is yet to come for Henseleit.
Sei Young Kim
South Korean Sei Young Kim was the second-highest money earner on the LPGA Tour last year thanks to her million-dollar moment – actually 1.5 million-dollar moment – at the season-closing CME Group Tour Championship. She needed to two putt the last to force a playoff with Charley Hull, but instead she canned her putt for the most important birdie she’s ever made. It was the largest first prize win in women’s golf – no woman had ever stood over a putt worth so much money – and the moment Kim proved to the world exactly what she’s made of.
Jeongeun Lee6
2019 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year, Jeongeun Lee6 well and truly made her presence known in her first year on the LPGA Tour. Clenching the title at the U.S. Women’s Open and claiming 12 top 10 finishes, the South Korean proved she’s got a lot more to give in 2020. How do we sign up for her ‘Lucky 6’ fan club?
Charley Hull
English golfer Charley Hull opened the 2019 LET season with a win in Abu Dhabi, though the rest of her golfing year didn’t pan out in quite the same way. Not at least until the CME Group Tour Championship in November. The 23-year-old fired six birdies to sign for a glorious, bogey-free 66 in the final round in Florida, missing out by one shot to Sei Young Kim. Before that, she had not had a top-10 finish in any tournament since May. But with her wedding to MMA fighter Ozzie Smith out of the way, is this proof that the Hull we know and love could be making a comeback in 2020? We hope so.
Georgia Hall
British Open Champion Georgia Hall was awarded an MBE in 2019, in recognition of her achievements and contribution to sports. She won the LET Oder of Merit in 2017 and 2018 – the youngest player to ever claim the title two years running – and was the LPGA Rookie of the Year in 2018. The English woman didn’t seal any victories on the LPGA Tour in 2019, though her strong start in the opening rounds of the CME Group Tour Championship in November proved that she’s not to be dismissed just yet.
Marianne Skarpnord
Second on the LET Order of Merit, Marianne Skarpnord was voted as the Players’ Player of the Year for 2019. The title came after an impressive season which included nine top-10 finishes and one superb victory. She opened the season with a second-place finish in the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi, then won on her second start at the Pacific Bay Resort Australian Ladies Classic – Bonville. Is this a sign of the times to come?
Image credits: Suhaimi Abdullah/Ross Kinnaird/Hannah Peters/Andrew Redington/Luke Walker/Sam Greenwood/Streeter Lecka/David Cannon/Getty Images
