Going into last week’s LPGA Shoprite Classic, it was known that Lydia Ko’s 84-week run at the #1 spot in the Rolex rankings was going to come to an end.
She was not entered into the tournament and there was no way for her to hold onto the spot mathematically. The question that needed to be answered was: who would take over that position? The answer became Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn.
Bullets
- There were two possibilities for the new No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings: Jutanugarn, who was not entered in the Shoprite Classic either, or So Yoen Ryu, who would have become #1 with a finish of T3 or better.
- Ryu missed the cut, her first missed cut on Tour in three years (she had made 64 in a row), which moved Jutanugarn to the top.
- The 21-year-old Jutanugarn has five career victories, although none in 2017. She had been playing well however, with eight top 10s in just 12 events, including three runner-up finishes.
- Ko’s 103 total weeks at No. 1 ranks third all-time, trailing only Lorena Ochoa (158 weeks) and Yani Tsung (109 weeks). The Rolex Rankings have been in place since 2006.
- Ryu won the ANA Inspiration, the LPGA’s first major, in late March.
Quotable
“I’m going to say, it’s not important because when I play, I really want to have fun. I really want to be happy on the course, and whatever happens, be really happy and have fun, that’s my goal.”
–Ariya Jutanugarn
Content originally appeared as part of Daily Rundown.
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