The Move of the Week belongs to Hannah Green, who jumped up four spots in the world rankings with her runner-up finish at the Mizuho Americas Open. She moved from No. 9 to No.5 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, the highest rank of her career.
It has been quite the year for Green. Just three weeks ago, she was celebrating her second victory of the 2024 season at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro in Los Angeles, Calif., after winning the HSBC Women's World Championship in March. Following her successful title defense at Wilshire Country Club, the Australian recorded a T18 result at the Cognizant Founders Cup and then earned a runner-up finish at last week's Mizuho Americas Open. She has been playing solid golf and is one of the more dominant players on the LPGA Tour this season.
"Not sure I would've said it at the start of the year that I would be so dominant. I have said that in other interviews, that I was surprised that I've already won twice," said the LPGA Tour veteran. "I think that's just because I now have won five times in my career, and it took me a while to get from two to three. Now four and five have come so quickly.”
Last week, Green set a new 18-hole tournament scoring record at the Mizuho Americas Open with her third-round 63. She also tied the previous 54-hole scoring record of 205, which was set by Rose Zhang in 2023, before Nelly Korda broke that record on Saturday.
Green faced off against World No. 1 Korda in the final round at Liberty National Golf Club. The pair were tied until the last hole on Sunday, but a late bogey on the 72nd hole caused Green to fall short in New Jersey, missing out on her sixth Tour title.
"I knew we both hadn't really holed any putts, so I was kind of expecting (Nelly) to make the one on the last," said Green. "I didn't actually think I would have a chance to tie her, and I completely misread the putt and didn't hit it where I wanted to. To make bogey on 18 does suck, but I still have to think about all the shots that I hit really well today and all the putts that kept the momentum and kept me in there."
At just 27 years old, Green has accumulated 25 career top-10 finishes, including five wins, and has earned over $5.6 million since joining the LPGA Tour in 2018. This season, the Australian golfer is making significant progress, currently ranked second in the Rolex Player of the Year race, second in the Race to the CME Globe standings with 1,406.975 points, second in scoring average (69.893) and second on the Official Money List with $1,172,841 in season earnings.
Nelly Korda Continues to Shine
Nelly Korda is getting comfortable at the top. For the eighth straight week, Korda remains at No. 1 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. At just 25 years old, the American has already etched her name into the golf history books in more ways than one.Last week, she clinched her sixth 2024 title at the Mizuho Americas Open, marking another significant milestone in her career. She became the first American player to win at least six times in an LPGA Tour season since Beth Daniel in 1990, who won seven times that year. She also joins an elite group of athletes – Betsy King (1989), Annika Sorenstam (1997, 2003), Karrie Webb (1999, 2000), Lorena Ochoa (2006, 2008), Inbee Park (2013), Daniel (1990), Yani Tseng (2011) – as the eighth known player to have earned six or more wins in a single season since 1980.
Her victories at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., the LPGA Drive On Championship in her native Bradenton, Fla., the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship at Palos Verdes Golf Club, the Ford Championship presented by KCC in Gilbert, Ariz., the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards in Las Vegas and The Chevron Championship in Texas have further solidified Korda's dominance.
With Korda's win in the Garden State, not only did she tie Sorenstam as the fastest player to win six times in an LPGA Tour season since 1980 – Sorenstam earned her sixth win of the 2005 Tour season in her eighth start that year – she also surpassed Stacy Lewis, Betty Jameson and Rosie Jones in All-Time LPGA Tour Wins by an American (13) since 1980. Korda is now the fourth player to win at least six times in an LPGA Tour season since June 1, joiningOchoa (2008), Louise Suggs (1953) and Babe Zaharias (1951), according to KPMG Performance Insights.
With the second major of the season coming up,the 14-time winner is not worried about keeping the momentum going and is looking forward to a week off before teeing it up in Lancaster, Pa., for the U.S. Women’s Open.
"I'm excited for my week off. I've played two weeks in a row, and with the amount of adrenaline, the pressureand the head-to-head battle that I had with Hannah, that wears on you," said Korda after her Sunday victory. "I'll definitely feel pretty tired the next few days, and I'm just really excited to recharge my batteries. My sister is going to drive over tomorrow in the morning with Greyson, so I'm so pumped for that.
"Just going to spend quality time with family, recharge my batteries, and get back to the grind again."
While Korda is taking time to relax and enjoy family, she's not taking her eye off the U.S. Women's Open trophy and winning the next major championship, as it ranks pretty high on her list of achievements she has yet to accomplish.
"It was the first event I ever played in 2013 at Sebonack,” said the two-time major champion. “That was where I realized this is my dream, and I would love to live that out one day, so obviously, I have a tie to that event emotionally.
“It's tough. There have definitely been some heartbreaking times where I just haven't competed well in the U.S. Women's Open, where I feel like I put a little bit more pressure on myself because I do love the event, and I feel like out of all the events that's the event for me.
“I'm not downplaying any other major. I'm just saying that is where my dream became reality in a sense, so obviously, it's on the top of my priority list. I know there is never any good when you put more pressure on yourself. I'm just going to stay in my bubble that week and take it a shot at a time.”
Korda first jumped into the top spot in the Rolex Rankings in June 2021 and has only been outside the top five three times since entering it in November 2019. She moved back to No. 1 after her win at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship and has remained there ever since. Korda holds a 240.49-point lead in the rankings over No. 2 Lilia Vu.
However, Korda's success is not limited to her LPGA Tour win count. With her recent victory, she has crossed the $2 million mark in season earnings, becoming the fastest player to reach $2 million in single-season earnings in LPGA Tour history. This adds to her impressive career earnings of over $11,800,000, a testament to her recent dominance on the LPGA Tour.
Another Solid Week for Gabriela Ruffels
Gabriela Ruffels, despite falling short in Jersey City, N.J. and missing out on her first LPGA Tour win as a rookie, has shown remarkable resilience. She continues to lead the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award point standings after her T3 showing at the Mizuho Americas Open, sitting 97 points ahead of Jin Hee Im.
Ruffels, a 2023 Epson Tour graduate, was one of nine graduates in the field last week at Liberty National Golf Club. She secured LPGA Tour status for the 2024 season after finishing first in the Epson Tour's Race for the Card last year, a testament to her exceptional talent. It's no surprise that she has continued to shine on the LPGA Tour, having earned Epson Tour Player of the Year honors last season.
Despite being a rookie, Ruffels has made her presence known on the LPGA Tour. In addition to currently leading the Rookie of the Year race, Ruffels comfortably sits in the 10th spot in the Race to the CME Globe standings. Her scoring average of 70.742 places her at a respectable 15th position, and she's already made her mark on the Official Money list with $581,978 in season earnings, ninth-most of anybody on Tour. These rankings are a testament to the promising start the rookie has had so far on the LPGA Tour.
As the season progresses, it's clear that Ruffels is a player to watch. With her impressive performance and potential, it's easy to imagine her climbing the standings and becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner at some point in 2024.
Epson Tour Rookie Fiona Xu Takes Top Spot in Race for the Card
With a record-breaking performance at the Copper Rock Championship, Fiona Xu has catapulted herself into the top spot in the season-long Race for the Card. She jumped six places in the standings with 1,013 points after earning her first victory over the weekend in her rookie season on the Epson Tour. Madison Young took a much-needed week off and dropped to second place and currently trails Xi by 300.500 points.After a T35 at the Copper Rock Championship, Atlantic Beach Classic champion Briana Chacon dropped to solo third, sitting 403.458 behind Xu with 609.542 points. In fourth is Jessica Peng, with 588 points. The 30-year-old earned her first Epson Tour victory at the IOA Golf Classic presented by LPT Realty in March.
Rounding out the top five is Juliana Hung, with 584.150 points, who captured a win at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.
Some other significant moves following the Copper Rock Championship are as follows:
- Kaleigh Telfer leapt into 17th in the Race following her runner-up finish in Hurricane, Utah, and now has 399.650 total points
- Alena Sharp, who has recorded two top-10 finishes in four events, went from 34th to 15th with 410.480 total points
- Jessica Porvasnik jumped to 10th with 544.829 total points after her solid performance at Copper Rock Golf Course
The Race for the Card is a season-long points competition in which Epson Tour members accumulate points in every official Epson Tour tournament. The ultimate goal is to finish in the top 15 in the point standings to earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2025 season. The point-based system, new on the Epson Tour this season, replaces the money-based system and will award points to those who make the cut weekly.
The 2024 season will also be the first year that Epson Tour athletes will vie for 15 LPGA Tour cards awarded after the season-ending Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells, Calif.
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