Ariya becomes World No 1 without lifting a club

NEW YORK: Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn has seized the number one world ranking from New Zealand’s Lydia Ko with neither lifting a club in the LPGA ShopRite Classic — where Ryu So Yeon missed the cut Saturday to cement the shift.

So Yeon, ranked third in the world, had a chance to leapfrog Ariya by finishing third or better in the tournament in Galloway, New Jersey.

But she fired back-to-back rounds of three-over 74 to miss the second-round cut in the 54hole tournament, where South Korea’s Kim In Kyung and American Paula Creamer shared the 36-hole lead.

Lydia will slip from the summit after 84 straight weeks at the top. She’s been ranked number one for 103 weeks overall.

Ariya becomes the 10th player to reach number one since the women’s rankings were introduced in 2006 and the first from Thailand.

Both In Kyung and Paula signed for four-under par 67s.

“This winter I didn’t have any break, I needed some time to get ready for the summer,” In Kyung said. “I’m really happy to get back.”

“I’ve only had one bogey in the last two days,” Paula said. “I’ve missed just three greens today. I’ve given myself a lot of opportunities and I like playing a little tougher conditions.

“Today was definitely different wind than yesterday,” Paula added.

“There were some good pins out there that we had to kind of think about a bit. I played solid. I hit some good putts that didn’t go in and made some good putts that went in.”

The leading duo were two strokes in front of two-time defending champion Anna Nordqvist of Sweden, South Korea’s Lee Jeong-Eun and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn — playing as her sister Ariya takes the week off.

“I feel like I’m hitting the shots I need to hit,” Anna said. “(It’s) just a matter of making a few more putts. I have nothing to lose. I obviously like this track, so I’m excited.” AFP