Yani TsengPARK JI-HWAN
Yani Tseng has been named the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year for the second straight year.
The number one ranked female golfer in the world becomes the eighth player in Tour history to win back-to-back honours and the 11th to win the award multiple times.
"It feels very special for me to have the award announced in Taiwan," Tseng said on the eve of the inaugural Sunrise LPGA Championship.
"I set out a goal in the beginning of the year to hopefully win it again and I do my best every tournament. It feels really different because last year it came down to the very last tournament but this time it is five weeks earlier and it keeps me really relaxed."
Tseng has been the most dominant golfer on any professional tour in 2011, winning six times on the LPGA Tour including two major championships. She is the youngest player ever to win five career major titles by the age of 22, having already earned 18 of the requisite 27 points needed for admission into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Tseng could pick up her 19th point if she manages to claim the Vare Trophy for low scoring average. She currently leads Cristie Kerr by one full stroke.
With more than $2.5-million in earnings this season, she is more than $1.2-million ahead of her nearest competitor (Kerr) and she leads in four other statistical categories.