Lee Hyo-song named youngest Rookie of the Year in JLPGA history

Lee Hyo-song (age 16) became the youngest rookie of the year at the Japan Ladies Professional Golf (JLPGA) tour. This is the first time in 14 years and the seventh time in history for a Korean player to win the Rookie of the Year award in the event.

According to sports management company Sports Intelligence Group on Wednesday, Lee received the Rookie of the Year Award at the JLPGA Tour awards ceremony on Tuesday. Born on November 11, 2008, Lee became the youngest rookie in the history of the JLPGA Tour, which was founded in 1968. Unlike Korea or the United States, where the Rookie of the Year Award is awarded based on points earned by season performance, Japan awards the Rookie of the Year Award to the rookie player who performed the best. Lee won an unexpected victory at the Salon Pas Cup, a major tournament in the JLPGA Tour, in May of this year while she was still an amateur. She set a record for the youngest win in JLPGA Tour history at the age of 15 years and 176 days and began her professional career as the youngest member in JLPGA Tour history.

“A special opportunity was presented to me, leading to my first professional game in the JLPGA Tour instead of the KLPGA. It is an honor to receive the Rookie of the Year award, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can perceive how different the professional world is. I will train harder in the winter season and perform well in the new year,” she said.

Lee started to train as a player after visiting a golf driving range with her grandfather at the age of nine. She joined the national amateur team and was hailed as a rising star after winning the Kang Min-koo Korean Women's Amateur Championship for two consecutive years (2022, 2023).


김정훈 hun@donga.com