Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou lifts the prestigious ‘LET Rookie of the Year’ title, following in the footsteps of major winners Annika Sorenstam, Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist and the 2020 Race to Costa del Sol winner Emily Kristine Pedersen, who won the award in 2015.
Winning the title by a narrow 92 points from England’s Alice Hewson, Kyriacou burst on to the scene with a breakthrough victory as an amateur at the Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic – Bonville, before immediately turning professional and joining the Tour.
As a result of being a ‘non-member’ at the time of victory, any points accrued at Bonville did not count toward the title race, but that did not stop her.
Travelling to Scotland for the first time in her life, the 19-year-old set off on what would prove to be a four-month roller coaster trip, which saw her compete in her first major championship, record two runner-up finishes and a further three top five results.
Accompanied by her Father Nick, who also caddied for her during her victory, Kyriacou becomes the third Australian golfer to win the accolade following Rebecca Stevenson (2003) and Niiki Garrett (2006).
Commenting on the achievement Kyriacou said, “It was one of my goals at the beginning of the year so I am glad that I could tick this one off the list. There are some big names on the trophy and one of my friends has been updating me every week on my progress and as the season went on, I started to think I had a good chance.”
She continued, “When I was playing amateur events, I thought I was ready but then I was so nervous in the first few events as a professional. Once I had made a few mates on tour though, I started to feel more comfortable. People think I look calm out there, but I am feeling the nerves just as much as anyone. I am so happy to win this title.”
Alexandra Armas, Ladies European Tour, CEO, said: “Stephanie burst on to the scene as an amateur back in February with a win at the Ladies Classic in Bonville and has shown tremendous resilience in her first year as a professional. She has taken quickly to life on tour and kept us entertained with her exciting play on the course and easy-going attitude off it. She should be incredibly proud of her achievement and we look forward to watching her progress in the coming years.”
In the absence of a 2020 Qualifying School and a category freeze across the board on the LET for the first time ever, the ‘rookie’ class of 2020 will again be rookies in 2021 – giving the Australian star a chance to become the first-ever two-time ‘Rookie of the year’.
For more news and information on the Rookie of The Year, check out the full final rankings HERE
