Ryu So-yeon wins best rookie award Ryu So-yeon is Korea’s eighth player to become the Rookie of the Year on the LPGA Tour. / AP-Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo Ryu So-yeon has claimed the LPGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year award, it was announced Tuesday. The 22-year-old won with 1,306 points, 527 ahead of distant runner-up American Lexi Thompson, even though there are three tournaments remaining. An LPGA victory is worth 150 points in the best rookie race. Ryu is the eighth Korean golfer to claim the title on the U.S. women’s professional golf circuit since LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer Pak Se-ri gained the honor first in 1998. She is the third Korean in four years following Shin Ji-yai in 2009 and Seo Hee-kyung in 2011. “First of all, I want to give thanks to Pak Se-ri, Han Hee-won, Grace Park and all of the first generation Korean players because they opened up our road and we can follow in their steps,” Ryu said on the LPGA Tour website. “This year the rookie class was so strong with Lexi Thompson, Sydnee Michaels and a lot of really, really great players, so it’s an honor to win the award.” The Seoul native, who earned her U.S. tour card after winning the U.S. Women’s Open on a sponsor’s invitation last year, has made an immediate impact in the United States, placing among the top 10 in several statistics. Ryu, who claimed the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in August, the only victory by a rookie this year, is first in birdies, top-10 finishes and under-par rounds, fourth for scoring average and ninth on the money list with $1,141,506 from 22 tournaments. “Winning the U.S. Women’s Open last year as a non-member was a really huge thing for me, but I really worried that some people might think it was just one lucky win,” she said. “That was a huge pressure on me, so I set a goal to win this award and add another trophy. I’m so proud to be the eighth Korean to win the Rookie of the Year.” The eight-time Korea LPGA Tour winner is also ninth in the world rankings.