Arim Kim "LPGA Rookie of the Year Race Begins"... Who Are the Competitors?

Tawatthanakit, 'ANA Champ,' Leads as Rookie Enters 3rd Place with Tied 10th at Lotte Championship; McGuire, Runner-up at Lotte Championship, Holds 2nd Place

Arim Kim tied for 10th place at the Lotte Championship, kicking off the Rookie of the Year race.

[Asia Economy Reporter Noo Rae] ‘US Women’s Open Champion’ Kim Arim (26, SBI Savings Bank) has kicked off her rookie of the year competition on the U.S. LPGA Tour.

On the 18th (Korean time), she showcased her strength by finishing tied for 10th place (18-under 270) at the Lotte Championship (total prize money $2 million) held at Kapolei Golf Club (par 72, 6,397 yards) on Oahu Island, Hawaii, USA. She boasted power with an 8-under on the second day and 6-under on the final day. She wiped away the humiliation of missing the cut consecutively at the Kia Classic and her first major, the ANA Inspiration, and succeeded in entering the top 10 for the first time.

Kim Arim is a representative long hitter on the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour. From 2018 for three years, she held the No. 1 average driving distance (259.52 yards) and earned two wins. In December last year, she made a surprise by winning the major US Women’s Open. She became the fifth player to win on her first appearance, following Patty Berg in 1946, Kathy Cornelius in 1956, Kim Joo-yeon (40) in 2005, and Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group) in 2015.

She also set a rare record as the third Korean player to win as a non-member, after Yoo So-yeon (31, Mediheal) in 2011 and Jeon In-ji in 2015. She secured LPGA Tour status and earned $1 million (?1.12 billion). Although she decided to join the LPGA Tour after careful consideration, her performance was below expectations. While her powerful driving remained (283.31 yards), her fairway hit rate (58.93%) dropped significantly. Her bunker save rate (37.50%) was also insufficient.

However, she recharged her confidence by achieving good results at the Lotte Championship. With her strong performance in this tournament, she rose to 5th place (50 points) in the rookie of the year standings. The current strong rookie of the year candidate is Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand). She completed a ‘wire-to-wire’ victory at the ANA Inspiration and is leading the rookie rankings with 407 points this year. Following her is Leona Maguire (Ireland, 229 points), who tied for 2nd at the Lotte Championship and is chasing closely.

Maguire is a skilled player who participated in 14 tournaments last year and made it to the final round 11 times. This year, she has earned prize money in all four tournaments she entered. Tavatanakit and Maguire made their LPGA Tour debuts last year, but due to the COVID-19 impact on the 2020 season, which was not properly conducted, they have maintained rookie status this year as well. Kim Arim will compete in the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open (total prize money $1.5 million) held at Wilshire Country Club (par 71, 6,450 yards) in Los Angeles, California, USA, on the 22nd.