11 questions to ponder for the 2019 LPGA season
By T.J. Auclair · February 7, 2019
The 2019 LPGA season is underway.
The start of a new season presents plenty of opportunity and even more questions.
What we’re concerned with here are the questions – like how the season will play out.
To help us to that end, we recruited three LPGA caddies to anonymously answer 11 questions that fans and observers will be asking throughout the season…
Who will finish the season No. 1 in the Rolex World Women’s Golf Rankings?
Caddie 1: Ariya Jutanugarn
Caddie 2: Probably Ariya Jutanugarn
Caddie 3: Sung Hyun Park
Who will be 2019 Player of the Year?
Caddie 1: Sung Hyun Park
Caddie 2: Lexi Thompson
Caddie 3: Sung Hyun Park
Will any player(s) win multiple majors?
Caddie 1: No
Caddie 2: Yes (Sung Hyun Park)
Caddie 3: No one but the best bet is Ariya Jutanugarn, because the British returns to Woburn, a non-links course, where she won in 2016.
Who will be 2019 Rookie of Year?
Caddie 1: Jeongeun Lee6
Caddie 2: No idea
Caddie 3: Jeongeun Lee6, winner of the Q Series and KLPGA money list, continues Korean dominance of this award.
Who will get their first LPGA win this year?
Caddie 1: Angel Yin
Caddie 2: Ryan O’Toole
Caddie 3: Angel Yin
Which player will get their first major win this season?
Caddie 1: Marina Alex
Caddie 2: Angel Yin
Caddie 3: 1A. Sei Young Kim; 1B. Minje Lee
Which new mom will have the best year: Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Karine Icher or Suzann Petterson?
Caddie 1: Stacy Lewis
Caddie 2: Stacy Lewis
Caddie 3: Karine Icher, simply because it’s her second child, so she knows how to juggle parenthood the best. Plus, her husband Fred, is her caddie, so she has extra support.
Who will be Comeback Player of Year — either from injury, pregnancy, off year, etc?
Caddie 1: Gerina Piller
Caddie 2: Lexi Thompson
Caddie 3: Mirim Lee returns to form after a lost season where she had five different coaches. A close second is Anna Nordqvist, coming off a non-winning season, but recently engaged and it’s a Solheim Cup year.
Who will have a breakout season?
Caddie 1: Brittany Marchand
Caddie 2: Marina Alex
Caddie 3: Maria Torres. A close second would be Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras.
Which player should people watch out for who not many would know about?
Caddie 1: Jaclyn Lee
Caddie 2: Jaclyn Lee
Caddie 3: Anne Van Dam. She hits it a mile and had success on the LET. A close second is Jaclyn Lee, a rookie from Canada, who was sixth at Q Series as an amateur.
Which pairing do you most want to see play together in the new Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational team event?
Caddie 1: Danielle Kang and anyone
Caddie 2: Jessica and Nellie Korda
Caddie 3: Ariya Jutanugarn and Pornanong Phatlum
