Fairways and Forehands 2018 WTA and LPGA Top 10 Year In Review: #2 Caroline Wozniacki and Minjee Lee

Caroline Wozniacki (click to enlarge)

For the 2018 edition of my WTA and LPGA money list countdown I will focus on the top 10 from each tour, as determined by the money lists. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for total earnings. Here are the #2 players for 2018: Caroline Wozniacki (WTA) and Minjee Lee (LPGA).

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (WTA)

2018 Prize Money: $6,657,719

Titles: Australian Open, China Open, Nature Valley International (Eastbourne)

Caroline Wozniacki had absolutely nothing to prove to anybody going into 2018. She was a long time world #1, had 27 singles titles including a Tour Final and was on her way straight to the International Tennis Hall of Fame if she never won another tournament. That she had not won a Major changed none of that. However, Caroline put an exclamation point on her career, not only winning 3 more tournaments to get to 30 singles titles, but she won her first Major at the 2018 Australian Open.

As long as she’s been around she is still only 28 and should have many great years ahead. What worries me is her being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I am hoping first of all for her life that she can have many years of good health. It can be a very debilitating auto-immune disease, but I pray for the best for Caroline. We can all root for her on the court for as long as possible, but it is in life that everybody should project the best positive energy for her.

Minjee Lee (click to enlarge)

MINJEE LEE (LPGA)

2018 Prize Money: $1,551,032

Titles: LPGA Volvik Championship

One might underestimate the strength of Minjee Lee’s year with “only” one tournament victory. That would be a mistake. First of all, she claim close to multiple wins, but lost a playoff to Lydia Ko at Mediheal. Morever, her #2 year end money list ranking was gained with a very consistent level of strong play throughout the year. She ranked 2nd in a number of statistical categories, including scoring average, rounds in the 60s, birdies and the season CME Race. And all of that doesn’t even count her win at the 2018 Oates Victorian Open on the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour.

The only place where I see some improvement for the Australian Lee is in the Majors. Her year was consistently excellent, save perhaps for Majors where her best result was a 10th place finish at the Women’s British Open. She was out of the top 20 in 3 of 5 Majors. If she is to close the gap between finishing 2nd and finishing 1st on the year end money list in 2019, a Major win a few top 10s would go a long way to making that happen.