ROLEX WOMEN’S WORLD GOLF RANKINGS UPDATE
With a win at last week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, Ariya Jutanugarn regained the top spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. However, five players – Inbee Park, Sung Hyun Park, So Yeon Ryu, Shanshan Feng or In-Kyung Kim – could wrest that away with a strong finish at this week’s Ricoh Women’s British Open.
I. Park is projected to move to World No. 1 with a win at Royal Lytham & St Annes. She can finish as low as 17th and regain the top ranking, depending on where A. Jutanugarn finishes. No other players factor into her ranking.
S.H. Park can finish as low as fourth and regain the top ranking, depending on various finishes by I. Park, A. Jutanugarn, Ryu, Sh. Feng and I.K. Kim.
Ryu must win or finish second to regain the top ranking, depending on various finishes by I. Park, A. Jutanugarn and S.H. Park.
Sh. Feng must win and have A. Jutanugarn and I. Park finish seventh or worse, and S.H. Park and Ryu finish third or worse.
I.K. Kim must win and have A. Jutanugarn finish 20th or worse, I. Park finish 12th or worse, S.H. Park finish fourth or worse and Ryu finish third or worse.
After the first round, A. Jutanugarn is T28 at -1, I. Park is T113 at +4, S.H. Park is T3 at -5, Ryu is T11 at -3, Sh. Feng is T28 at -1 and I.K. Kim is T20 at -2.
PLAYER NOTES
Rolex Rankings No. 8 Minjee Lee (65, -7)
Lee is playing in her fifth Ricoh Women’s British Open; she has made the cut twice, finishing T25 in 2016 and T9 in 2015
Her first-round 65 ties the Lytham 18-hole record, previously set by Grace Park (second round, 2003) and Lorena Ochoa (third round, 2006)
Her first-round 65 is tied for the second-lowest score of her LPGA career; she has shot 64 four times
This is Lee’s 18th tournament of the 2018 LPGA season; she has a win at the LPGA Volvik Championship and seven other top-10 finishes, including a runner-up showing at last week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open
Lee has four career LPGA victories – the 2015 Kingsmill Championship, the 2016 LOTTE Championship, the 2016 Blue Bay LPGA and the 2018 LPGA Volvik Championship
Lee’s best career major finish is T3 at the 2017 ANA Inspiration
Lee is trying to become the third Australian to win a women’s major championship; with a win, she would join Karrie Webb (seven majors) and Jan Stephenson (three majors)
Rolex Rankings No. 51 Mamiko Higa (66, -6)
Higa is playing in her third Ricoh Women’s British Open; she finished T7 in 2013 and missed the cut in 2014
Her first-round 66 is her lowest career RWBO round by three strokes
This is Higa’s ninth career LPGA start; her best finish is a tie for third at the 2013 Mizuno Classic in her native Japan
Higa is a full-time member of the JLPGA; she has four victories on that tour, including the 2018 KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open, and has 13 top-10 finishes in 2018
She is currently No. 1 on the JLPGA’s Mercedes-Benz Player of the Year rankings, second in stroke average at 70.48 and fourth on the money list
Higa is trying to become the second Japanese player to win a women’s major championship, joining Chako Higuchi, who won the 1977 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Rolex Rankings No. 39 Georgia Hall (67, -5)
Hall is playing in her sixth Ricoh Women’s British Open; she has made the cut three times, with a best finish of T3 in 2017 at Kingsbarns
Her first-round 67 is tied for her lowest career RWBO round; she shot a 67 in the second round in 2017
Her first-round 67 is tied for the second-lowest round of her LPGA career; she shot 66s in the final rounds of the 2017 and 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic
This is Hall’s 15th tournament of the 2018 LPGA season; her best finish is T7 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic
Hall’s best career major finish is T3 at the 2017 Ricoh Women’s British Open
Hall is trying to become the second Englishwoman to win the Ricoh Women’s British Open since it became a major in 2001, joining Karen Stupples, who won in 2004; only three Englishwomen have won majors – Laura Davies (four majors), Alison Nicholas (one major) and Stupples (one major)
Rolex Rankings No. 3 Sung Hyun Park (67, -5)
Park is playing in her third Ricoh Women’s British Open; she finished T50 in 2016 and T16 in 2017
Her first-round 67 is her lowest career RWBO round, besting the 68 she shot in the final round in 2017
She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation
This is Park’s 16th tournament of the 2018 LPGA season; she has wins at the Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Park has two major victories, the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, as well as wins at the 2017 CP Women’s Open and the 2017 Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic
Park is trying to become the sixth player from the Republic of Korea to claim major victory at the Ricoh Women’s British Open; with a win, she would join Se Ri Pak (2001), Jeong Jang (2005), Jiyai Shin (2008, 2012), Inbee Park (2015) and In-Kyung Kim (2017)
Rolex Rankings No. 43 Teresa Lu (67, -5)
Lu is playing in her eighth Ricoh Women’s British Open; her best finish is sixth in 2015
Her first-round 67 is her lowest career RWBO round, besting the 68 she shot in the first round in 2015
She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation
Lu held LPGA Membership for several years in the late 2000s before moving to the JLPGA; this is her second LPGA appearance of 2018, having finished T27 at the U.S. Women’s Open
Lu has been a full-time member of the JLPGA since 2010; she has 16 career victories on that Tour, including the LPGA/JLPGA co-sanctioned 2013 Mizuno Classic
She is currently fifth in JLPGA scoring average at 70.94
Lu is trying to become the second player from Chinese Taipei to win a women’s major championship, joining five-time major winner Yani Tseng, who won the 2010 and 2011 Ricoh Women’s British Open
Rolex Rankings No. 59 Mi Hyang Lee (67, -5)
Lee is playing in her fifth Ricoh Women’s British Open; her best finish is T11 in 2016
Her first-round 67 is tied for her lowest RWBO career round; she previously shot a 67 in the first round in 2016 and the third round in 2017
This is Lee’s 16th tournament of the 2018 LPGA season; her best finish is T8 at the 2018 Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic, but she has missed the last seven consecutive cuts
Lee has two LPGA victories, the 2014 Mizuno Classic and the 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open
Lee is trying to become the sixth player from the Republic of Korea to claim major victory at the Ricoh Women’s British Open; with a win, she would join Se Ri Pak (2001), Jeong Jang (2005), Jiyai Shin (2008, 2012), Inbee Park (2015) and In-Kyung Kim (2017)
Rolex Rankings No. 97 Pornanong Phatlum (67, -5)
Phatlum is playing in her eighth Ricoh Women’s British Open; she has only made the cut once, finishing T27 in 2014
Her first-round 67 is the first time she has returned a round in the 60s at the Ricoh Women’s British Open
This is Phatlum’s 18th tournament of the 2018 LPGA season; her best finish is T7 at the Honda LPGA Thailand
Phatlum is trying to be come the second Thai player to win a women’s major championship, joining Ariya Jutanugarn, who won the 2016 Ricoh Women’s British Open and the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open
QUICK HITS
Defending champion In-Kyung Kim opened with a 2-under 70 and is tied for 20th
Florentyna Parker had a hole-in-one at the par-3 ninth hole, from 140 yards and with an 8-iron; thanks to the ace, Ricoh will donate £2000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK
Parker’s hole in one is the 12th ace in championship history and the 22nd of the 2018 LPGA season
Of the 12 holes-in-one in Ricoh Women’s British Open major history, six have come at Royal Lytham & St Annes (most of any venue)
Lytham’s 18-hole RWBO scoring record is 7-under 65, shot by Grace Park (second round, 2003) and Lorena Ochoa (third round, 2006) and tied today by Minjee Lee
The three major winning scores at Royal Lytham & St Annes are 285 (-3, Catriona Matthew, 2009), 281 (-7, Sherri Steinhauer, 2006) and 278 (-10, Annika Sorenstam, 2003)
28 of the 32 players who will compete at the 2018 UL International Crown are in the field this week
The cut at the Ricoh Women’s British Open is to the top 65 players and ties
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