Sei Young Kim- Up one spot to 11th in the world
The ninth career victory and second on the season for Sei Young Kim moves her to 4th on the all time Korean winners list, as she takes the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational off before the final two majors of the season. Her second victory moves her ahead of So Yeon Ryu, who sits in 12th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, for the 4th and final Olympic spot for Korea. Kim’s lowest career ranking is 5th, which she held in September of 2016.
Stacy Lewis- Up 18 spots to 65th in the world
Lewis makes her loudest argument yet for a Solheim Cup captain’s pick with her best finish of the season at the Marathon Classic of 3rd place. It’s her best ranking since May of this year. Lewis’s second top 10 of the season, joining her 6th place finish in her return from maternity leave at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. With two majors left, her Solheim Cup destiny is still in her hands.
Jennifer Kupcho- Up 122 spots to 323rd in the world
It’s the 6th event under Kupcho’s belt as a member, and her 16th place finish is her best so far. Most importantly for Kupcho, her official money won slotted her into the final position to qualify for Evian by the official money list, booking her trip to France for her second major as a member next week.
Lexi Thompson Rides Claw Grip Change to Second Place in Player of Year Race
Lexi Thompson has been on fire since the calendar turned to the month of June, posting three second place finishes at the U.S. Women’s Open, the Meijer LPGA Classic, and the Marathon Classic. Those join her victory at the Shoprite LPGA Classic. The biggest change in her game since then? A minor tweak in her swing and the claw grip on her putter, which has delivered consistent results. Those finishes have delivered 78 of Thompson’s 104 Rolex Player of the Year points, sitting two points ahead of Jeongeun Lee6 in third place and Jin Young Ko sitting alone at the top, with 129 points.
A recurring theme of this section in the 2019 season is Jin Young Ko’s lead in the various award races. However, Hyo Joo Kim is as close as they come to overtaking Ko in one of the races. Kim sits .07 behind Ko in scoring average at 69.32. Her strong play has inched her closer, with the three-time winner having averaged 65.71 over her past seven rounds.
Aon Risk Reward Race Update
Lee-Anne Pace expanded her lead to a -0.818 scoring average. Pace carded two under for her top two scores combined Aon Risk Reward Hole last week in only two holes played, lowering her average by .018. Two other players remain in the -0.7 range. Hyo Joo Kim didn’t play last week, remaining in second at -.750. Ariya Jutanugarn stayed in third at -0.719, having not played at Marathon as well.
Solheim Cup Points 
Team Europe
We’re one weeks away from the Evian Championship, the next LET event where LET Solheim Cup Points can be scored. The AIG Women’s British Open and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open are the final two events to count towards LET Solheim Cup Points. Anne Van Dam (114), Caroline Hedwall (114), and Charley Hull (105) hold the three qualifying spots, with Carlota Ciganda in fourth with 100.88 points.
Ciganda is the leader on Team Europe of qualifying by Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking (4.62). Caroline Masson moved into 4th place with her best finish of the 2019 season of T5 at the Marathon Classic, with a 1.89. She moved ahead of Anna Nordqvist, who holds the final qualifying position of 1.85. Jodi Ewart Shaddoff (1.57) is the closest to catching Nordqvist, with Celine Boutier (1.52) and Pernilla Lindberg (1.51) forming the chase pack.
Team USA
Brittany Altomare moved into 7th place (257.7) with her T11 finish last week, passing Megan Khang (255). The gap between 8th and 9th is beginning to grow, with Cristie Kerr in 9th holding 224.5 points. Stacy Lewis moved into the 200 point tier, sitting in 12th place with 203 points. Ally McDonald (217.5) and Angel Yin (217) are between Lewis and Kerr, the only other Americans with 200 plus points.
Yin sits in the lead in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings at (2.81) for her ticket to the Solheim Cup. Austin Ernst (2.30) maintains the second position by .03 ahead of Annie Park (2.27). Angela Stanford (2.07) and Amy Olson (2.04) are the next two trailing Americans, who both can elevate their chances with repeat performances at the Evian Championship next week. Stanford is the defending champion, and Olson finished tied for second.
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