Park Remains No. 1
For the third consecutive week, Sung Hyun Park remains on top of the Rolex Rankings. The top 5 ranked players remains unchanged this week as Park and world No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn took the week off from playing the Cambia Portland Classic. No. 3 So Yeon Ryu finished T21 to remain in the same position. No. 4 Inbee Park had a mathematical chance of returning to No. 1 with a win in Portland but settled for T30. Lexi Thompson finished T9 to remain No. 5 in the world.
Marina's Maiden Victory
Sunday, Marina Alex won for the first time on the LPGA Tour. She recorded rounds of 62-71-71-65 for her maiden victory and with it, made the Rolex Rankings' move of the week. Alex jumped from No. 39 to No. 30 in the world, which is the highest ranking of her career. The 2013 rookie has made a steady climb over the last 24 months with 9 top 10 finishes over the last two seasons. Alex began the year ranked No. 47 in the world and will be one to watch during the season’s closing stretch as she hopes to cap it off with another win.
“I would love to be in this position again,” Alex said after her win. “I just would love to put myself back into contention a few more times before the season is out and see how it goes.”
Lee Lurking Again in Portland
Week after week, Minjee Lee has remained one of the most consistent players this season on the LPGA Tour. The Aussie finished fourth last weekend in Portland for her 11th top 10 of the year. The solid performance moved her to No. 6 in the world, which is the highest ranking of her career, and closer to moving in to the top 5 for the first time.
Lee is now in the conversation, with the Tour's biggest names, as one of the players positioned to take home the season's biggest honors. She moved to No. 2 in the Race to the CME Globe standings and in to the hunt for the million-dollar bonus in November. She’s also ranked No. 2 in top 10s on Tour, No. 3 in scoring average and No. 4 in the Rolex Player of the Year race. Lee is also No. 5 on the money list.
“I've been having quite a few top-10's here and there,” Lee said in Portland. “Overall, it's been a good season and hopefully I can finish strong.”
Other Notable Moves
Ayako Uehara recorded her third top 10 finish of 2018 with her third place finish at the Cambia Portland Classic. Uehara jumped 25 spots with her solid finish, moving from No. 117 to No. 92 in the Rolex Rankings.
Megan Khang picked up her fifth top 10 of the year with her fifth place finish in Portland and climbed from No. 80 to No. 74 in the Rolex Rankings.
Amy Olson jumped from No. 94 to No. 89 in the Rolex Rankings following her 14th place finish in Portland. Olson climbed into the top 100 in the rankings in July 2018 for the first time of her career. At No. 89 in the world, Olson matches the highest ranking of her career, which she previously held earlier this summer.
Benyapa Niphatsophon recorded her career best finish with a sixth place showing in Portland. Niphatsophon jumped from No. 270 to No. 218 in the Rolex Rankings with her solid performance last weekend. The 2016 rookie played on the Epson Tour in 2017 where she topped the money list.
Last Push For a Card
While Dottie Ardina holds a commanding lead in the Volvik Race for the Card with $72,482, the competition is heating up with only five events remaining and nearly a million left to be earned in 2018. A winner is almost guaranteed a card for the 2019 LPGA season.
Linnea Strom made the move of the week when she stepped into the winner’s circle for the first time in her professional career at the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge. The win not only moved her from No. 24 to No. 2 in the Volvik Race for the Card standings on the Epson Tour, but she also climbed 172 spots in the world rankings. The rookie from Sweden has two additional top 10 finishes on the season.
Charlotte Thomas is also one to watch as the season comes to a close. She finished solo second in Sioux Falls and moved up nine spots from No. 13 to No 4 in the race standings.
Rolex Annika Major Award Up for Grabs at Evian
At next week’s Evian Championship, the winner of the Rolex Annika Major Award will be determined following the final round. The award is designed to recognize the player with the most consistent performance in the season’s major championships. The winner must have won at least one of the year’s major titles in order to qualify, and performed well in the season’s other major events.
This year, Pernilla Lindberg, Ariya Jutanugarn, Sung Hyun Park and Georgia Hall have an opportunity to win the award with a win at Evian. Lindberg won the ANA Inspiration, Jutanugarn won the U.S. Women’s Open, Park won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Hall won the Ricoh Women’s British Open.
So Yeon Ryu and Inbee Park have not won a major in 2018 but are both in the hunt for the Rolex Annika Major Award after each finished runner-up in one of the season's major championships. Ryu or Park would need a win at Evian in order to take home the award. Ryu won the 2017 Rolex Annika Major Award.
Click here for the current point standings heading into the season’s final major.
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