A dozen LPGA rookies to watch in 2024, including Gabriela Ruffels, a 13-time winner from Japan and the first Russian member
This year’s rookie class of 26 players represents 12 countries, highlighting the global nature of the LPGA.
One of the most well-known rookies of the 2024 class is former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Gabriela Ruffels, who many thought would be a veteran by now were it not for a paperwork error. The Aussie topped the Epson Tour’s money list to earn her card.
There are plenty of players who have won multiple titles on their home tours in this year’s class, including a teen from China.
The Class of 2024 includes only five Americans: Gurleen Kaur, Auston Kim, Kaitlin Milligan, Malia Nam and Gigi Still. A U.S. player hasn’t won the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award since Paula Creamer in 2005.
Here are a dozen LPGA rookies to keep an eye on in 2023:
Trichat Cheenglab - Phathumthani, Thailand
A Thai player competed on the Ladies European Tour in 2023, Cheenglab carded five top-10 finishes and a win at the Big Green Egg Open. She finished No. 1 in the Race to Casta del Sol Ranking and was named LET Rookie of the Year.
Alexandra Forsterling - Berlin, Germany
Former Arizona State player won twice on the LET in 2023 as a rookie: Mallorca Ladies Open and VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open. The 24-year-old German is a three-time winner of the Berlin Open as an amateur (2016, 2017, and 2019).
Nataliya Guseva - Moscow, Russia
An Epson Tour rookie in 2023, the former Miami player won the Black Desert Resort Championship and notched two additional top 10s. The first Russian player to earn an LPGA card, Guseva headed next to LET Q-School, where she dominated the field in Morocco, winning by four shots.
The Russian flag does not appear by Guseva’s name on the LPGA and LET websites because of International Olympic Committee guidelines. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, individuals who qualify from Russia will compete as neutral athletes. No flag, anthem or colors from Russia will be displayed at the Games.
Jin Hee Im - Jeju, South Korea
A veteran of the KLPGA since 2018, Im has six wins on that tour and the equivalent of $1.6 million in career earnings. The 25-year-old Im won four times on tour in South Korea last year. She has made only two starts on the LPGA and finished T-17 at Q-Series. Im is currently 40th in the Rolex Rankings.
Mone Inami - Tokyo
A 13-time winner on the JLPGA, Inami accepted LPGA membership for 2024 after winning the Toto Japan Classic in November. The silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was named after famed painter Claude Monet.
So Mi Lee - South Korea
A five-time winner on the KLPGA, Lee’s most recent victory on that tour came at the 2022 S-Oil Championship. She had 11 additional top-10 finishes on the KLPGA in 2023. Lee has made six starts on the LPGA, with her best finish coming at the 2019 BMW Ladies Championship. when she tied for fourth.
Natasha Andrea Oon - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Oon finished second on the Epson Tour money list in 2023 to earn her card. The Malaysian collected four second-place showings before capturing the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout, her first professional title, late in the season. The 2023 Epson Tour Rookie of the Year played collegiately at San Jose State where she won the 2022 Juli Inkster Award.
Gabriela Ruffels - Melbourne, Australia
After missing the LPGA Q-Series registration deadline in 2022, Ruffels came out swinging in 2023, winning three times in her first 15 starts on the Epson Tour. The 2023 Epson Tour Player of the Year topped the money list to earn her LPGA card. Ruffels played collegiately at USC and became the first Australian to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2019.
Mao Saigo - Chiba, Japan
A six-time winner on the JLPGA, Saigo has competed in plenty of LPGA majors in recent years. Of her 12 starts on the LPGA, she has missed the cut only three times. Saigo is currently 44th in the Rolex Rankings.
Yu Jin Sung - South Korea
A veteran of the KLPGA since 2018, Sung has three career victories and an additional 18 top-10 finishes. Sung tied for seventh at Q-Series to earn her card. She has played in four events on the LPGA, notching one top-10 finish.
Yuri Yoshida - Chiba, Japan
The 23-year-old Yoshida is a three-time winner on the JLPGA, including the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup, which is a major in Japan. As an amateur, Yoshida won the Japan Junior Championship and the Japan Women’s Amateur Championship.
Yoshida tied for seventh at LPGA Q-Series to earn her card.
Liqi Zeng - Nanchang, China
Zeng petitioned LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Saaman to participate in LPGA Q-Series at age 17. The age requirement to become a member is 18.
A four-time winner on the China LPGA, Zeng finished 14th at Q-Series to earn her full card.
