Women’s golf:
Several women have claimed No. 1 spot
Is it better for the game to have one dominant player, or does women’s golf gain more when several players jockey for No. 1?
HOBART – Perhaps it’s not the age-old question in women’s golf, because the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking is only 11 years old. So let’s call it the pressing question: Is it better for the game to have one dominant player, or does women’s golf gain more when several players jockey for No. 1?
The latter is the case going into the inaugural Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, which begins Thursday at Thornberry Creek at Oneida. So Yeon Ryu, who is not in the field, begins her second week atop the Rolex rankings. No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn, who held the top spot the previous two weeks, is playing.
Before that, three women spent more than four years trading off at No. 1: Stacy Lewis had two stints at the top totaling 25 weeks; Inbee Park was No. 1 three times for a total of 92 weeks; and Lydia Ko
held the top spot twice for a total of 104 weeks.
“Lydia was No. 1 for an extremely long time,” said Brooke Henderson, runner-up Sunday in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and ranked No. 8. “I guess the last few weeks it’s changed hands a couple times, but I think the game is definitely getting stronger.
“I think we’re looking for that dominant person again.”
Perhaps she’s out there. Then again, though every golfer proclaims to want to be No. 1, it can be uncomfortable at the top, with increased pressure, more scrutiny and more sponsor, fan and media obligations.
“I think that’s true of any pressure situation out here,” said Augusta James of Canada, ranked No. 469. “The reason you’re out here is to get to that pressure-filled situation, to be in the final group on Sunday. That shouldn’t be an intimidating thing.”
Rare, however, is the golfer who can handle the top spot for more than a year or two. Tiger Woods on the men’s side is the obvious exception. Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa had lengthy stays on top and, more recently, Yani Tseng and Ko had impressive runs at No. 1.
But after 85 weeks on top, Ko lost her world No. 1 ranking last month. She finished 59th in the Women’s PGA Championship and slipped to fourth in the world. The Kiwi hasn’t won in a year amid numerous caddie firings and talk of burnout.
Ko was replaced at No. 1 by Jutanugarn, who was replaced by Ryu. Several others are jockeying
for the top spot, including No. 3 Lexi Thompson, the highest-ranked American.
“I think (the ranking) is one of the most important things out here on tour,” Henderson said. “I think that’s what you’re based off of. The fans’ attention, media attention and endorsement deals. That’s really the No. 1 thing. If you’re ranked high, you get a lot of confidence and a lot of attention.
“Everybody is chasing after that No. 1 spot and of course it’s extremely difficult to do it.”
In that respect, the PGA Tour is no different, with Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth taking turns atop the Official World Golf Ranking in recent years.
“I think both the men’s and women’s are changing in that sense, right?” James said. “Somebody is rivaling for it every week. I definitely think that makes it more exciting.”
Does it? One could argue that men’s golf was more exciting when Tiger Woods was the dominant player and that the women’s game was followed more closely by the casual fan during Sorenstam’s extended run at the top. When she played in the 2003 Bank of America Colonial on the PGA Tour (and missed the cut), it was one of the biggest golf stories of the year.
These things generally run in cycles. Perhaps it is a matter of time before Jutanugarn or In Gee Chun or Henderson — all in the field this week — or another young player ascends to No. 1 and stays there for a prolonged period.
“Being as high as No. 2 in the world last year has given me a lot of confidence,” Henderson said. “I’m excited to hopefully get back there someday.”
The bigger challenge is to stay there.