Park Sung-hyun becomes first rookie to top LPGA golf rankings

South Korean golf sensation Park Sung-hyun has become the first ever LPGA Tour rookie to top the world rankings.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a stellar debut season on the elite women’s golf circuit, winning July’s US Open at Trump National Golf Club and making the cut at every event she’s entered.

She is the fourth South Korean woman to hold the world No. 1 spot, following in the footsteps of compatriots Ryu So-yeon, Inbee Park and Jiyai Shin.

“It is a great honor to me and my family,” Park told LPGA.com. “I was very surprised and amazed by what I’ve achieved.”

Park Sung-hyun celebrates winning the US Women's Open Championship at Trump National Golf Club on July 16, 2017.

South Korean women have dominated the LPGA Tour in recent years, winning 15 of the past 29 major tournaments.

Ten of the top 20 players in the official Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are South Korean as it stands – and the number is only increasing.

According to PGA coach Brian Mogg, a fiercely competitive society married with an intrinsic dedication to getting better has fostered a new generation of women that are revolutionizing the game.

“Koreans are the most disciplined people on earth,” Mogg, who runs a golf academy in Seoul, told CNN Sport last year.

“You tell them to do something but they don’t just do it, they do it to the nth degree, and they do it hard and passionate. When you put hard work and discipline together you’re going to create some success.”

READ: The search for a South Korean Tiger Woods

Park has won $2,161,005 in prize money since becoming a full-time LPGA member at the start of the 2017 season, clinching the Rookie of the Year award in October with five events remaining on the calendar.

No female player has ever reached $1 million (four months, 14 days) or $2 million (seven months, 13 days) in career earnings faster in the history of the game.

But, speaking from China ahead of the Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island, Park insisted there’s no chance she’ll let such success get to her head.

Jeju Island's Nine Bridges golf club hosted the first ever PGA Tour event in South Korea between October 19 and 23.

The largest island and smallest province in South Korea, Jeju is a volcanic island 130 kilometers from the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula.

With a $9.25 million prize purse up for grabs, 32 from the top 50 of the FedExCup standings competed.

But nobody could stop FedExCup winner Justin Thomas winning his fifth PGA title of 2017 and his first of the new season.

The 24-year-old American had to see off another man in hot form -- Australia's Marc Leishman -- sealing the inaugural CJ Cup title after Sunday's second playoff hole.

A number of the South Korea's leading male golfers believe the tournament will have far wider implications for the game in the country.

"It's very special," KJ Choi told CNN. "For my home country to host an official PGA Tour event shows how far Korean golf has come along. I'm confident that this will open doors for many up-and-rising golfers from South Korea to the world stage."

"Korean golf history is not that long but many young generations are starting to play these days," Si-woo Kim told CNN. "The CJ Cup will be a huge role on that trend."

"It's fantastic to be playing in my home country on the PGA Tour," agreed Byeong-hun An. "I was fortunate to play at Nine Bridges last year and I think the venue is first class."

While 15 of the past 29 majors on the LPGA tour have been won by South Korean women, Y. E. Yang is still the only South Korean male to win a major since records began.

For Choi, an amendment to his country's mandatory military service could help South Korean men mount a more consistent challenge for major honors.

"I advise young players to fulfill their military obligation as quickly as possible," Choi told CNN. "This may require a change in national policies, but for sure it will help produce more and more talented players."

Byeong-hun An, the youngest ever winner of the US Amateur tournament, believes it's distance off the tee where he and his compatriots on the PGA Tour have struggled.

"I think men's golf needs a bit more physical ability," he told CNN. "We need to hit the ball farther and with more accuracy because of the long course set up. You see more Korean players are coming through now because they have the distance and good short games too."

One such South Korean player showing signs of promise on the PGA Tour is Whee Kim. The 25-year-old finished fourth at the 2017 CJ Cup -- above established players such as Adam Scott and Jason Day.

"Every aspect has improved so much compared to 20 years ago when I first came to the Tour," said Choi. "Now any one of those young Korean guys on Tour can bump shoulder to shoulder with world-class golfers."

The Nine Bridges course, voted one of the top 100 in the world, certainly didn't disappoint...

Competing for $9.25 million on South Korea's volcanic isle

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“There won’t be any changes because of the ranking,” said Park, known as “Dak Gong” (literally translated as “Shut Up and Attack”) back home for her relentless focus on the course.

“I believe my future play is more important than the fact that I moved up in the ranking.”

READ: South Korea’s golfing women - ‘You’re either a champion, or nothing’

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With the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship taking place later this month, she could now join American legend Nancy Lopez as the only players in LPGA history to win Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season.