The top two players in the LPGA's Vare Trophy race are now ineligible to win. Haeran Ryu withdrew from last week's Maybank Championship in Malaysia prior to the start of the first round, which will ultimately leave her one round short of the minimum requirement of 70 rounds.
The Vare Trophy is given to the player with the lowest scoring average in a season. It comes with a trophy and an LPGA Hall of Fame point.
Ryu, a two-time major winner this season, has only eight potential rounds left in her season with starts at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and CME Group Tour Championship. The Associated Press reported Ryu suffered a "strained finger ligament" while riding in a golf cart during the Wednesday pro-am in Malaysia.
Nelly Korda, a four-time
winner this season on the LPGA, including two majors, will also not meet the minimum requirement. Korda is in the midst of a two-month break from competition and returns next week for The Annika. She leads the race with a 69.38 average over 53 rounds played.
Ryu carries an average of 69.44 over 61 rounds played.
Next in line to win it is Japan's Miyu Yamashita, who carries a 69.47 average. Yamashita, a three-time winner this season on the LPGA and No. 4 in the world, has already met the tour's minimum requirements with 78 rounds.
The race concludes at the end of the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.
This isn't the first time Korda has missed out on a Hall of Fame point. In 2021, she led the tour in scoring but did not compete in enough rounds to win the award.
Several of the biggest names to play the game have done the same.
In fact, since 1992, the tour's leading scorer hasn't won the Vare Trophy seven times: Nancy Lopez, 1993; Laura Davies, 1996; Annika Sorenstam 2003, 2004; Sei Young Kim, 2020; Korda, 2021; Jeeno Thitikul, 2024.
In 2021, Lydia Ko recommitted to the Pelican event after realizing that missing it would make her one round short of being eligible to win the Vare. She put her name back in the field and ultimately won the prize and the Hall of Fame point. That year, three players ahead of her on the scoring list were ineligible: Korda (69.074), Jin Young Ko (69.186) and Inbee Park (69.534).
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA and all things women's golf. Follow her on X/Twitter (@GolfweekNichols).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Nelly Korda, Haeran Ryu ineligible for LPGA low scoring award. Who's next?
