Rookie Makes Rolex Move of the Week
Lauren Coughlin took advantage of the LPGA Tour’s break in the schedule to compete on the Epson Tour. The 2018 LPGA Tour rookie won the PHC Classic for her first professional victory. With her win, Coughlin jumped to No. 417 in the Rolex Rankings, an incredible feat given she began the year ranked at No. 885 in the world. The victory could become a springboard for the rookie who has struggled in her first season on the LPGA Tour with just three cuts made. She’s back on the LPGA Tour this week at the Indy Women in Tech Championship.
Final Stretch for RAMA
As the season winds into the final stretch, the Rolex Annika Major Award nears closer to identifying a winner. Only the players who win one of the season’s five major championships are eligible, as the award is meant to identify the player who has the best performance in the year’s biggest events. Pernilla Lindberg, Ariya Jutanugarn, Sung Hyun Park and Georgia Hall captured the first four majors of the year and each have a chance of winning the 2018 Rolex Annika Major Award with a win at the season’s fifth and final major, the Evian Championship.
There are multiple scenarios in which the first four major winners could also win the Rolex Annika Major Award without a win in Evian, depending on the finish of their fellow competitors. As the points leader, Jutanugarn has the greatest opportunity of winning. She is the only player who could finish outside the top 10 at the Evian Championship and still have an opportunity to take home the award.
However, So Yeon Ryu, Jessica Korda and Inbee Park have each displayed consistency in the first four majors of the year, so they have a mathematical chance, with a win at Evian, of winning as well.
The Rolex Annika Major Award celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. Over the last four years the award was presented to So Yeon Ryu (2017), Lydia Ko (2016), Inbee Park (2015) and Michelle Wie (2014.)
Here is a look at the standings heading into the season’s final major:
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ariya Jutanugarn | 88 |
| 2 | Sung Hyun Park | 64 |
| T3 | Georgia Hall | 60 |
| T3 | Pernilla Lindberg | 60 |
| 5 | So Yeon Ryu | 42 |
| T6 | Jessica Korda | 28 |
| T6 | Inbee Park | 28 |
Show Me the Money
This week’s Indy Women in Tech Championship kicks off the final three full-field events of 2018, which means players needing to improve their position on the LPGA’s money list are running out of opportunities to secure their position for 2019. Qualifying for the LPGA and Epson Tours changes this fall as a new Q-Series will be held over a two-week stretch in October and November to determine who will earn their card for 2019. Players finishing between No. 101 and 150 on the LPGA money list will qualify for the series, along with the players who finish No. 11 to 30 on the Epson Tour’s money list. The top 75 players in the Rolex Rankings will also qualify. Click here for the current LPGA money list.
Volvik Moves of the Week
Dottie Ardina has a firm hold on the top spot in the Volvik Race for the Card standings, and with her fourth runner-up result on the year at the PHC Classic, she’s nearly a lock to earn her LPGA Tour card for the 2019 season. Ardina’s bogey-free, 2-under par final round was not enough to capture her first title, but the current No. 1 finished at 15-under-par for the tournament. Ardina has accumulated nearly $70,000 in earnings without the benefit of a win.
Two weeks ago, ahead of the PHC Classic, Carlie Carr switched to Callaway Rogue clubs and the changed proved successful. Carr posted three rounds in the sixties to finish at 12-under par for the tournament and pick up a career-best finish with a T3 finish at Brown Deer Park Golf Course in Milwaukee. Carr’s top-5 finished moved her up 24 spots in the Volvik Race for the Card standings from No. 67 to No. 43 on the money list.
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