After a season that included six top-5 finishes in addition to a victory in the ANA Inspiration, Patty Tavatanakit was named as the winner of the 2021 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award.
Tavatanakit is the second player from Thailand to capture the honor, following Moriya Jutanugarn in 2013. The award was not given out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Earning this award is a dream come true for me,” Tavatanakit said. “It’s once in a lifetime. I’m so thrilled that I get to add my name to a spectacular list of recipients that I have looked up to for many years.
“This season has been one to remember, and I’m excited to finish 2021 strong as the Tour’s newest Rookie of the Year.”
Nicholas Dunlap of Huntsville, Alabama, and Megha Ganne of Holmdel, New Jersey, were named players of the year for 2021 by the American Junior Golf Association.
The two players join a list of Rolex Junior Player of the Year honorees that includes Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Ariya Jutanugarn and Inbee Park.
Dunlap becomes the first Alabama native to receive the honor in the boys division, while Ganne is the first New Jersey native to earn the recognition in either division.
The Junior All-America Teams annually recognize the world’s premier junior golfers. The 2021 class includes 48 boys and 48 girls, ages 14-19, from 23 states and five countries, including Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States.
Lake Merced Golf Club, home to the LPGA Mediheal Championship since 2018, today begins a restoration by architect Gil Hanse that is due for completion in 2022.
Lake Merced opened in 1923. Redesign work by Alister MacKenzie was completed in 1929 and subsequent revisions were made by Rees Jones in 1996 and in 2014.
In notes from Hanse’s design company posted on the renovation page of the Lake Merced website, references are made for adjustments to nearly every hole “as per the MacKenzie design.”
TAP-INS
Orrin Vincent, a founding board member for the American Junior Golf Association and the founder of OB Sports Golf Management, died Oct. 25 at age 76 (READ MORE).
Staff and Wire Reports