Gabriela Ruffels: Breakout Golfers to Watch in 2024
Welcome to “Breakout Golfers to Watch,” our miniseries showcasing some of the hottest up-and-coming talent in golf. From Ludvig Aberg to Rose Zhang, it’s always entertaining to be in the know about “who’s next.” First up: Australian LPGA Tour rookie Gabi Ruffels.
Gabriela Ruffels
Age: 23
Hometown: Born in Orlando, Fla., raised in Melbourne, Australia
College: University of Southern California
Notable Accomplishments: 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, 2023 Epson Tour Player of the Year
Why She’s a 2024 Breakout Candidate: Gabi Ruffels's path to the LPGA has been a unique one, but now that the 23-year-old has secured full status, she is undoubtedly the rookie to watch on the LPGA in 2024.
Born in Orlando, Fla., but raised in Melbourne, Australia, Ruffels emerged as a force in the game very shortly after she first picked it up. Until 2015, Ruffels spent her time playing competitive tennis: At age 12, she topped the junior rankings in Australia. Ruffels took up golf at age 14, seeking a change of scenery, and it became immediately clear that she belonged on the course rather than the court. Ruffels's unfathomably fast rise in the junior golf world landed her a spot on the University of Southern California women’s team, where her game only progressed further.
In 2019 as a rising junior, Ruffles became the first Australian to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur—one of the most prestigious titles in the women’s amateur game. The victory can easily be considered Ruffels's “breakout” moment. Winning a USGA championship is typically a sign that a player can contend at any level.
Ruffels turned pro in 2021, forgoing her final semester at USC. She competed on the Epson Tour—the LPGA’s developmental circuit—and finished 15th in the season-long standings. That position didn’t quite earn her LPGA membership, but it did help her automatically qualify for LPGA Q-Series, which would give her another shot at securing full status.
The only problem? She forgot to sign up in time.
The mistake was an enormous setback but didn’t derail her trajectory. The young pro persisted on the Epson Tour for another full season, where her game began to flourish. Ruffles won three times on the circuit in 2023 and was named Epson Tour Player of the Year. She was finally LPGA bound.
Now Ruffels is entering her first official season on the LPGA with some tried-and-tested grit and an abundance of high-stakes competitive experience. She has already teed it up in nine major championships—including three as an amateur—and finished in the top 20 four times. It’s safe to say we know who we’re picking as our dark horse when the Chevron Championship kicks off the LPGA major season in April.
In 2023, we named Alexa Pano, Sahith Theegala, Chris Gotterup, Justin Suh and Cameron Young as names to keep an eye out for. Pano and Theegala clinched their first professional victories, Gotterup earned his 2024 PGA Tour card, Suh climbed into the top 70 in the world and Young posted five top-10s on Tour. Stay tuned to see how our 2024 picks perform in the new year.