Lilia Vu highlights the Moves of the Week with her move to world No. 1. Vu etched her name on a trophy for the third time this year with a final-round 67 at the AIG Women's Open to overtake Nelly Korda at the top of the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. The American's second major title catapulted her to the highest ranking she’s ever held in her young career, and she is the first American since Juli Inkster in 1999 to win two major championships in a single season.
The California native also clinched the Rolex Annika Major Award with her second major title, which recognizes the player who has the most outstanding record in all five major championships during the LPGA Tour season. Vu is just the second American to win the award since its inception in 2014, joining Michelle Wie West (2014).
Vu has earned just over $2,500,000 after the AIG Women's Open paycheck, joining four other players on the LPGA Tour that have surpassed $2 million in earnings this season. She now leads the Rolex Player of the Year award by 21 points and is just under 312 points behind Celine Boutier in the Race to the CME Globe.
Charley Hull Moves to Highest World Ranking in Her Career
Charley Hull came up short in front of a home crowd on Sunday in Surrey, England, missing out on her first major win. But she still moved up seven spots in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings to No. 9, the first time she has ever been inside the top 10 in her career. Hull has hovered in the mid-teens in world rankings for much of the 2023 season, and the Englishwoman recorded her third runner-up finish at the AIG Women's Open in only thirteen starts this year. She also tied for second at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and U.S. Women's Open.
With another runner-up and three additional top-10 results, Hull moved from 20th to ninth in the Race to the CME Globe standings. She also ranks fifth on the Official Money List with $2,098,616 earned this season and is seventh in the Rolex Player of the Year standings with 64 points.
Hae Ran Ryu Leads for Rookie of the Year
Hae Ran Ryu holds the lead for the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award, leading Grace Kim by 108 points after her T21 showing at the AIG Women's Open. While the Republic of Korea native has yet to step inside the winner's circle this season, Ryu has earned five top-10 finishes this season, tying for seventh at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain, tying for sixth at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, finishing solo fourth at the Cognizant Founders Cup, finishing solo third at the Mizuho Americas Open and finishing eighth at the U.S. Women's Open.
Ruffels Clinches LPGA Tour Card
Last week, Gabriela Ruffels claimed her third win of 2023, which brought her season earnings to $156,283. With only seven events left this season, the 23-year-old has clinched a spot in the top 10 in the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card, meaning the Aussie will graduate to LPGA Tour for the 2024 season.
Ruffels found her first win at the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic and has only missed one cut in 12 starts. Since that lone missed cut, she had two additional victories and two other top-five finishes. The former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion has played and made the cut in three LPGA Tour events this season, including two majors, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and U.S. Women's Open. Ruffels will next tee it up on the LPGA Tour at the CPKC Women's Open.
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