Natasha Andrea Oon Earns 2023 Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year Honors

Ten athletes had life-changing moments at the Epson Tour Championship in early October, graduating from the official qualifying tour of the LPGA to the biggest stage in women’s golf. One of the 10 was rookie Natasha Andrea Oon, who in addition to her Tour card, earned Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year honors.

The Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year is awarded to the player competing in her first professional season who finishes highest on the Epson Tour Money List. Gaelle Truet was a three-year member of the Tour who was killed in an automobile accident during the 2006 tournament season. The Tour’s top rookie award is named in her memory. Oon adds her name to a list of incredible athletes who earned the award before her, including major champions Patty Tavatanakit and Hannah Green as well as LPGA Tour winner Madelene Sagstrom. With the Rookie of the Year Award, the soon-to-be LPGA Tour Rookie took home an additional $2,500 provided the Seiko Epson Corporation for her outstanding performance during the season.

“Being Rookie of the Year, it's such an honor. I didn't really expect to do that out of the gate. I just wanted to get comfortable in this lifestyle,” Oon said. “But this card and this award really showed me that I have what it takes to do what I want to do, and all these rookies out here, they're just as equally deserving of the award. Just everything I've worked for in that award, it's crazy. It's insane that I get that award at the end, so I'm really grateful.” 

The 22-year-old had quite the journey in her short stint on the Epson Tour, carding six top-10 finishes by the halfway point of the season. Half of those results were runners-up. In the second half of the season, Oon picked up another runner-up finish as well as her first professional victory to lead her to this moment – earning her LPGA Tour card for the 2024 season and being named the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year.

“It feels really surreal. I kind of didn't really let it sink in until this moment, but just seeing Mollie (Marcoux Samaan) talk about what it means to be on the LPGA Tour and how much work it takes to get here, I kind of finally had a moment to reflect on how much I went through and what it took for me to get to this moment,” said Oon. “I think I had to appreciate myself in that moment, so just holding this [card] and just really looking back on the year, my whole career, it's kind of what my dreams were about.” 

The Malaysian will bring her incredible talent, as well as her fun-loving personality to the LPGA Tour in 2024. While fans can expect to see her name near the top of the leaderboard, they can also expect to see her big smile and hear her infectious laugh walking down the fairway.

Full List of Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year winners: