Park Sung-hyun Becomes First LPGA Rookie to Top World Rankings

A lot of attention has been paid to the rise of young golfers taking over the game on the PGA TOUR. A similar takeover, however, has also struck the LPGA TOUR.

Park Sung-hyun is a rookie golfer out of South Korea who has recently burst onto the scene of the LPGA TOUR. At age 24 and in her first season, Sung-hyun has had as perfect of a debut as one could hope for. Not only did she win her first ever tournament on the LPGA TOUR, that tournament happened to be the Women’s U.S. Open. Sung-hyun also showed great consistency all season, making the cut in all of her events.

After that unbelievable first season, Sung-hyun has been climbed to the number one ranking in the World Golf Rankings for women. By capturing this milestone, Sung-hyun has become the fourth women’s golfer from South Korea to claim the top spot in the rankings. She joins Ryu So-yeon, Inbee Park and Jiyai Shin as the only other South Koreans with that honor.

Sung Hyun Park of South Korea in action during day four of the Sime…

Sung Hyun Park of South Korea in action during day four of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia at TPC Kuala Lumpur East Course on October 29, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

While many didn’t see this type of rookie season coming from the South Korean superstar, don’t count Sung-hyun as someone who would have predicted her epic season either. “It is a great honor to me and my family,” Park told LPGA.com. “I was very surprised and amazed by what I’ve achieved.”

Claiming this ranking and her first major aren’t the only records that Sung-hyun set this year either. People say that money rules all, and Sung-hyun now has a lot of it. She made a total of $2,161,005 in her rookie season and clinched the Rookie of the Year title with five events remaining on the LPGA schedule. There has never been a female player in golf history to reach $1 million, let alone $2 million, as fast as she did.

While her 2017 season is absolutely remarkable, this looks like it is only the beginning for Park Sung-hyun. And we can’t wait to see what kind of numbers she’s able to put up in 2018 with a year of experience under her belt.

Cover Image via Flickr