Ruoning Yin Becomes the Best in the World!
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Ruoning Yin Becomes the Best in the World!

By September 11, 2023No Comments

RUONING YIN BECOMES NO. 1 IN ROLEX WOMEN’S WORLD GOLF RANKINGS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Sept. 11, 2023 – Twenty-year-old Ruoning Yin has reached No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for the first time in her young career, according to the latest Rankings update. She becomes the 18th different player to reach No. 1 in the world and, for the first time in the history of the Rolex Rankings, the fifth-different player to hold the position in the same calendar year. In both 2022 and 2017, four different players held the No. 1 spot, which was the previous record. 

Yin is the second player from the People’s Republic of China to get to No. 1 since the inception of the Rolex Rankings in 2006. She joins Shanshan Feng, who was No. 1 for 23 weeks from November 13, 2017 until April 22, 2018. At age 20 years, 11 months and 7 days, Yin is the third player to reach No. 1 at the age of 20 or younger, joining Atthaya Thitikul (19 years, 8 months and 11 days in October 2022) and Lydia Ko (17 years, 9 months and 9 days in February 2015 and 18 years, 6 months and 2 days old in October 2015). 

Yin moved from No. 2 to No. 1 after a solo third place finish at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, bumping two-time 2023 major champion Lilia Vu, who has held the position since August 14. Yin’s result in Cincinnati is her third top-three finish in a row and fourth in her last five starts on the LPGA Tour. 

“Before this week (in Cincinnati) I know what position I finish I can be the world No. 1. I just keep that in my mind. Last hole I check the leaderboard and I was like, okay, another week finish third, but assuming I’ll be the world No. 1. It’s just amazing,” Yin said after her final round at the Kroger Queen City Championship. “I got goosebumps. I mean, I think, yeah, world No. 1 is the big step on the way to chasing Shanshan.”

Yin became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the DIO Implant LA Open in March to join Feng (10 wins) as just the second player from the People’s Republic of China to win on Tour. She added her maiden major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol in June. She has finished in the top four seven times this season, including her two wins, and has three additional top-20 finishes. Yin was also the highest ranked member of the People’s Republic of China Team at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown in May at TPC Harding Park.

A 2022 LPGA Tour rookie, Yin first earned Tour status after a T4 finish at the 2021 LPGA Q-Series. She recorded her first top-10 result of her Tour career at the 2022 Dana Open where she finished in a tie for fourth. Prior to joining the LPGA Tour, Yin turned professional in 2020, winning the China LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament and joined the China LPGA (CLPGA), where she won her first three-straight events and received two Guinness World Record titles for most consecutive wins on the CLPGA and most consecutive wins on the CLPGA from professional debut. As an amateur, she won nine titles in 2019 and reached a career-high 64th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. 

History of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings Number One Position:

#PLAYERAGE (Y/M/D)FROM:TO:NO. OF WEEKS
43Ruoning Yin20/11/7September 11, 2023Present1
42Lilia Vu25/10/0August 14, 2023September 10, 20234
41Nelly Korda (5)25/0/3July 31, 2023August 13, 20232
40Jin Young Ko (5)27/10/15May 22, 2023July 30, 202310
39Nelly Korda (4)24/8/27April 24, 2023May 21, 20234
38Lydia Ko (3)25/7/4November 28, 2022April 23, 202321
37Nelly Korda (3)24/3/17November 14, 2022November 27, 20222
36Atthaya Thitikul19/8/11October 31, 2022November 13, 20222
35Jin Young Ko (4)26/6/24January 31, 2022October 30, 202238
34Nelly Korda (2)23/3/11November 8, 2021January 30, 202212
33Jin Young Ko (3)26/3/18October 25, 2021November 7, 20212
32Nelly Korda22/11/0June 28, 2021October 24, 202117
31Jin Young Ko (2)24/0/22July 29, 2019June 27, 2021100
30Sung Hyun Park (4)25/9/10July 1, 2019July 28, 20194
29Jin Young Ko (1)23/9/1April 8, 2019June 30, 201912
28Sung Hyun Park (3)25/5/13March 4, 2019April 7, 20195
27Ariya Jutanugarn (3)22/11/6October 29, 2018March 3, 201918
26Sung Hyun Park (2)24/10/29August 20, 2018October 28, 201810
25Ariya Jutanugarn (2)22/8/7July 30, 2018August 19, 20183
24Inbee Park (4)29/9/11April 23, 2018July 29, 201814
23Shanshan Feng28/3/8November 13, 2017April 22, 201823
22Sung Hyun Park (1)24/1/16November 6, 2017November 12, 20171
21So Yeon Ryu26/11/28June 26, 2017November 5, 201719
20Ariya Jutanugarn (1)21/6/20June 12, 2017June 25, 20172
19Lydia Ko (2)18/6/2October 26, 2015June 11, 201785
18Inbee Park (3)26/11/3June 15, 2015October 25, 201519
17Lydia Ko (1)17/9/9February 2, 2015June 14, 201519
16Inbee Park (2)26/3/15October 27, 2014February 1, 201514
15Stacy Lewis (2)29/3/17June 2, 2014October 26, 201421
14Inbee Park (1)24/9/3April 15, 2013June 1, 201459
13Stacy Lewis (1)28/1/2March 18, 2013April 14, 20134
12Yani Tseng22/0/22February 14, 2011March 17, 2013109
11Jiyai Shin (3)22/6/4November 1, 2010February 13, 201115
10Cristie Kerr (3)33/0/13October 25, 2010October 31, 20101
9Ai Miyazato (3)25/2/4August 23, 2010October 24, 20109
8Cristie Kerr (2)32/10/4August 16, 2010August 22, 20101
7Jiyai Shin (2)22/2/28July 26, 2010August 15, 20103
6Ai Miyazato (2)25/1/0July 19, 2010July 25, 20101
5Cristie Kerr (1)32/8/16June 28, 2010July 18, 20103
4Ai Miyazato (1)25/0/2June 21, 2010June 27, 20101
3Jiyai Shin (1)22/0/5May 3, 2010June 20, 20107
2Lorena Ochoa25/5/8April 23, 2007May 2, 2010158
1Annika Sorenstam35/4/11February 20, 2006April 22, 200761

Career Weeks at No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings:

Jin Young Ko163 weeks
Lorena Ochoa158 weeks
Lydia Ko125 weeks
Yani Tseng109 weeks
Inbee Park106 weeks
Annika Sorenstam61 weeks
Nelly Korda38 weeks
Stacy Lewis25 weeks
Jiyai Shin25 weeks
Shanshan Feng23 weeks
Ariya Jutanugarn23 weeks
Sung Hyun Park20 weeks
So Yeon Ryu19 weeks
Ai Miyazato11 weeks
Cristie Kerr5 weeks
Atthaya Thitikul2 weeks
Lilia Vu4 weeks
Ruoning Yin1 week

Source: [LPGA.com]