The first official Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings made their debut in 2006, with Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam topping the first set of standings that were generated on Feb. 21 of that year. The 72-time LPGA Tour winner was ranked No. 1 until April 22, 2007, for a total of 61 career weeks, the seventh-most of all time.

In the time since the rankings were created, there have been 18 players who have reached the highest position in the standings, including Sorenstam, and nine different countries have been represented among that group – Chinese Taipei (1), Japan (1), Mexico (1), New Zealand (1), the People’s Republic of China (2), the Republic of Korea (5), Sweden (1), Thailand (2) and the United States (4).

Korean Jin Young Ko holds the record for most career weeks spent at Rolex Rankings No. 1 with 163, while Mexico native Lorena Ochoa’s 158 weeks is the record for most consecutive weeks spent in the top spot. Current Rolex Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda has been world No. 1 for 85 career weeks and counting, the most of any American who has ever been atop the standings.

But the Rolex Rankings don’t only serve the LPGA Tour, with the rankings also featuring athletes from 11 other professional women’s golf tours across the globe, a list of circuits that includes the Epson Tour, the CLPGA Tour, the JLPGA Tour, the JLPGA Step Up Tour, the Ladies European Tour, the Ladies European Tour Access Series, the KLPGA Tour, the KLPGA Dream Tour, the THAILPGA Tour, the TLPGA Tour and the WPGA Tour of Australasia.

Players receive Rolex Rankings points via their official finishes on any of the previously mentioned worldwide tours, with the point amounts being determined by how strong the field is at each event. The five major championships that are played on the LPGA Tour each season have a different structure for awarding Rolex Ranking points. Athletes do not have to be an LPGA Tour member to earn points.

On This Date: Annika Sorenstam Tops First-Ever Rolex Rankings List on Feb. 21, 2006

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