AZAHARA MUNOZ IS LPGA TOUR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Louise Suggs and Rolex Rookie of the Year Azahara Munoz during the Rolex awards reception (photo copyright of Getty Images).

FROM THE GOLFWEEKWEBSITEBy Julie Williams
ORLANDO, Florida. – As Azahara Munoz addressed the crowd at the Rolex awards reception, her sincerest words were not even understood by most in the room.
Accepting the Louise Suggs Rolex LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year award, Munoz made it through nearly her entire speech before wiping away tears as she addressed her mother in Spanish from the podium.
It was a private moment among a sea of spectators, with a clear message of gratitude from the 23-year-old.
Former British girls champion (2004 at Lanark) and also British women's amateur champion (2009 at Harlech), Munoz, who had three top-10 finishes and 10 top 25s, spoke to the difficulty of transitioning from four years of collegiate golf at Arizona State to the pro game, but also thanked the friends and players who have helped her along the way.
She ended her address with a heartfelt thank you to the award’s namesake, who sat like a proud parent on the stage behind her.
“I can only hope that one day I can make a sliver of the difference that you have made,” Munoz said.
The Rookie of the Year award was the only hardware handed out at the banquet, as the race for the Vare Trophy and Rolex Player of the Year are still ongoing. Only Na Yeon Choi and Cristie Kerr are still in the running for the Vare title (Choi held a slight edge with 36 holes to play at the LPGA Tour Championship).
Choi, Kerr, Jiyai Shin, Ai Miyazato and Yani Tseng entered the season-ending event with a shot at earning Player of the Year honors. Suzann Pettersen rounds out the group of six players who still have a shot at ending the season with the No. 1 ranking.