There will not be a new No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings on Monday.
It seemed as though Ariya Jutanugarn had earned enough points with a tied-second finish at the inaugural Buick LPGA Shanghai on Sunday to overtake Sung Hyun Park and once again become the top-ranked player in the world. Models suggested Jutanugarn needed to finish in at least a tie for second to get to No. 1 again.
However, the modeling didn’t consider Jutanugarn would be part of a huge seven-way tie for second at Qizhong Garden Country Club in China. Jutanugarn finished two back of winner Danielle Kang, along with Lydia Ko, Marina Alex, Annie Park, Wenbo Liu, Sei Young Kim and Brittany Altomare.
That large of a tie, combined with Park’s T-26 finish gave the South Korean a reprieve and at least another week at No. 1.
When all the math is done, Sung Hyun Park will remain at world No. 1 with 8.1056 average points per event, followed by Ariya Jutanugarn with 8.0279 points. The Rolex Rankings formula track average points earned per event over a rolling 104-week period, with points earned holding full value for 13 weeks, then degrading in equal installments over 91 weeks. Points for a tournament and the number of players earning points are determined for a tournament based on strength of field.