Xiyu Lin came up short in New Jersey after missing out on her first LPGA Tour win but still moved up five spots in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings to No. 9, the highest rank of her career. Lin has hovered in the mid-teens in world rankings since the start of the 2023 season and the People’s Republic of China native recorded her third top-five finish at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in only nine starts this year. She finished T2 at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro and T3 at Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. Her stellar performance over the past several weeks could prove to be significant momentum heading into next week's U.S. Women's Open.

Ruoning Yin Eyes Top Spot in the Race to CME Globe

The 2023 Race to the CME Globe continued at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and with 650 points on the line, the champion, Ruoning Yin, made a big move in the season-long competition. With two wins this season at the DIO Implant LA Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and one additional top-10 finish, Yin moves from eleventh to second in the standings, a mere 18.073 points behind Rolex Rankings World No. 1 Jin Young Ko (1,477.823 points), who also has two wins and three additional top 10s this season.

American Lilia Vu is in solo third and less than 100 points from the top with 1,388.643 points. The Tour sophomore rounds out the trio of players with two wins this season, capturing her first major victory at The Chevron Championship and becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Honda LPGA Thailand. In fourth place is Ayaka Furue, with 1,360.125 points, and while the Japan native is without a win this year, she’s earned six top-10 finishes and three other top-20 results in 13 starts. Rounding out the top five is Ashleigh Buhai (1,212.281 points), who has a victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, along with five additional top-10 finishes.

Ruffels Has Firm Hold on Epson Tour’s Top Spot

After her agent called with a surprise invite into the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Gabriel Ruffels certainly made the best of her quick travel change as the Epson Tour sophomore tied for 24th in her second appearance in the event. She finished in a tie for 33rd in 2021, her KPMG Women’s PGA Championship debut.

The Aussie has won twice on the Epson Tour this season and currently sits atop the season-long Race for the Card. Ruffels holds a nearly $14,000 lead over Natasha Andrea Oon on the money list. While Oon has yet to win in her rookie campaign, she already has six top-10 finishes this year, with three runner-up results. The pair are both well on their way to securing one of the ten 2024 LPGA Tour cards up for grabs this season.

Ruffels’ T24 result proves she can compete on the highest level and she looks to be at the top of her game heading into next week's U.S. Women's Open. She is one of fourteen Epson Tour players to have qualified for the upcoming major at Pebble Beach.

Making Moves: Lin Moves into Best World Rankings Spot of Her Career

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