Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings Update

Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings Update

The Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings (WWGR) today announced a return to its “normal” historical ranking calculations beginning with tournaments staged the week of March 1, 2021. On March 20, 2020, the WWGR announced a pause in the rankings amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. On July 20, 2020, the WWGR implemented a temporary modification to the rankings to focus on the individual athlete and the weeks she competed. Under that modification, an athlete’s points and divisors did not change on weeks when she did not compete.

The WWGR Technical Committee has been monitoring this approach, tracking the frequency of play among the world’s top 400 players and the schedules of professional women’s tours globally. As tour schedules begin to normalize in comparison to previous years, the WWGR has taken the decision to resume the rankings as usual beginning this week.

What “normal” means:

Points and divisors change and age for all athletes

Points and divisors will change and age every week when an athlete competes and when she does not compete

Weeks when an athlete does not compete count in the 104-week rolling period

On weeks when no tournaments are played, the rankings continue to operate as normal, with points, divisors and rankings changing based on the 104-week rolling period for all athletes

“While it will take the rankings quite some time to level set to all athletes having the same 104-week period,” said Heather Daly-Donofrio, executive director of the WWGR, “The WWGR Board remains confident that this was the most fair way to manage the rankings and the athletes during this time. While there is no perfect solution, we believe we have followed an approach that is reasonable for athletes and also protects the integrity of the ranking system.”

Austin Ernst clinches third LPGA title with wire-to-wire victory at Drive On

OCALA, Florida – Austin Ernst won her first tournament on the LPGA seven years ago in a playoff. For her second title, she carded a final-round 63 to come from behind at last year’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. At the LPGA Drive On, the 29-year-old went wire-to-wire to win by five strokes over Jennifer Kupcho.

“I think it’s just really cool to be in the heat of it all week and to be able to perform the way I did,” said Ernst, who closed with a 70 to finish at 15-under 273.

“To hit the shots I hit, and to shoot the scores I shot, I think it’s just kind of a testament to me, that I can do this week in and week out and just if I have a little belief myself kind of what I can do.”

Ernst’s older brother Drew had a front-row seat every week as Austin’s caddie and her performance in Ocala only confirmed what he’s already known. Just last week, Drew told his sister that she was a top-10 player in the world.

“She’s really starting to believe in herself,” said Drew. “You can tell just talking to her, she’s almost a different person.”

Austin Ernst putts on the 11th green during the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Golden Ocala Golf Club on March 07, 2021, in Ocala, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Americans have now won the first three events of the season for the first time since 2007. Jessica and Nelly Korda, two of Ernst’s good friends, won the first two events in Florida. Jessica will be Austin’s maid of honor later this year.

“I practice a good bit with Jess, play a good bit with Jess, play a bit with Nelly out here,” said Austin. “We always want to beat each other, so I think it’s kind of one of those things that it just kind of pushes you. When you see your friends win, you want to win. So you kind of want it one-up them as much as you can.”

The friendly competition will continue all year as Americans jockey for position in the Rolex Rankings for a berth in the Summer Olympics and Solheim Cup team.

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A maximum of four U.S. players could qualify for Tokyo and all four must be ranked in the top 15. Ernst was ranked 33rd coming into the week and Kupcho was 21st.

The two NCAA champions came into Sunday’s final round separated by a single stroke. The next group of players sat six strokes back.

Four consecutive birdies on the front nine built Ernst’s lead to six as she made the turn.

There are three Augusta National replica holes at Golden Ocala and the final round featured Sunday Masters hole locations. It looked like Kupcho might summon some of her Amen Corner magic when she pulled hybrid out on the 12th hole (a replica of the 13th).

Kupcho, of course, stuffed a 3-hybrid to 6 feet at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur two years ago and poured in a pivotal eagle putt en route to victory. On Sunday at Drive On, her 4-hybrid from about 200 yards settled to the right of the hole this time.

“I thought the putt was falling the whole way,” said Kupcho of her eagle putt, “and just wrapped right around the hole. Really tough hole location to make a putt on for sure where I was at.”

Kupcho settled for birdie and cut Ernst’s lead to three strokes with six holes to play. Kupcho’s momentum ended there, however, as a bogey on No. 13 from and a watery tee shot on the 15th essentially sealed the victory for Ernst.

“I didn’t really think it was over until I hit the tee shot on 15,” said Kupcho. “Everyone hits bad shots. It’s just unfortunate that’s when mine came for the week.”

Professional golf has long been a family affair for the Ernsts. Their father Mark, general manager and director of golf at Cross Creek Plantation in Seneca, South Carolina, is her swing coach. That’s where she’ll marry Jason Dods in October, the week of the ShopRite LPGA.

Austin has stayed with Dods’ family for host housing in Atlantic City since her rookie year in 2013. The Dods have five children and Austin didn’t meet Jason, who was already out of the house, until 2016. When Jason came back in 2018, they hit it off over nightly family dinners. Austin was already in love with his mom’s cooking.

Now she’s in love with Jason’s cooking too.

“I think I’m so happy off the golf course,” said Austin, “that’s it has kind of translated on the golf course.”

LPGA’s first full-field event of season features seven of world’s top 10

ORLANDO, Fla. – Emma Talley arrived at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club at 7 a.m. ET on Tuesday for the first full-field event of the LPGA Tour season. As the sun began to set later that day, Talley was still at the course, chatting up her fellow pros she hadn’t seen for two months. She wasn’t alone. Players were happy to reconnect with one another at the Gainbridge LPGA, many having quarantined in their respective states and countries since the 2020 season wrapped up in December.

Jin Young Ko, who won the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, is eager to pick up where she left off last year. Ko makes her season debut this week, having skipped the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in January. The No. 1 player in the Rolex Rankings has held the top spot for 86 weeks, but she is beginning to feel the pressure from current world No. 2 Sei Young Kim, who also makes her season debut in Orlando. Kim is arguably the hottest player on tour heading into the season. In 2020, the South Korean enjoyed a career best campaign that saw her earn her first major victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and claim the Rolex Player of the Year award.

“Golf is just a personal sport, not a team, so if [she] plays better she can win; if I play better, I can win,” Ko said about Kim. “I don’t want to [have a] rivalry with her. I want to fight just by myself on the course.”

Gainbridge LPGA: Full-field tee times | Full coverage

Annika Sorenstam, who knows the challenge of holding on to the world No. 1 ranking, is making her first start on the LPGA Tour in 13 years. Lake Nona is her home course; she lives just off the 16th hole.

For many players in the field, the opportunity to compete against the World Golf Hall of Fame member wasn’t possible. Sorenstam retired in 2008, at the age of 37, in order to start a family. Much of the current generation on tour grew up watching the 72-time LPGA winner on television, but this week will get to experience first-hand what it’s like to play alongside one of the great players in golf history. Thursday, defending champion Madelene Sagstrom will get that opportunity. The all Swedish group of Sorenstam, Sagstrom and Anna Nordqvist will tee off at 12:25 p.m. ET in Round 1.

“I know she’s going to go in full-hearted,” Sagstrom said about Sorenstam. “Just being able to see that spirit on the golf course and playing with, who might have been the best golfer of all-time, is going to be amazing and an experience that as a little girl I could never have dreamed of doing.”

Seven of the top 10 in the Rolex Rankings are in the field at the Gainbridge LPGA, including the top-ranked Americans, No. 4 Nelly Korda and No. 5 Danielle Kang. Amateur Alexa Pano received a sponsor invite. The 16-year-old is hoping to build on the success she found last season, when she made her first cut on the LPGA Tour, in preparation for the upcoming Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April. Gabi Ruffels, the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, also received a sponsor invite prior to turning professional. She’ll make her pro debut this week.

“Even though I’ll be nervous, I’ll be excited,” Ruffels said. “It’s one of the most exciting things right now I feel like in my life and I can’t wait to get out there.”

The Gainbridge LPGA moved from Boca Rio Golf Club to Lake Nona Golf and Country Club for the second playing of the event. GolfChannel.com will live stream the first round beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.