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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Beth Ann Nichols

LPGA players who made big moves up and down the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings in 2023

Most of the 2023 LPGA season was entirely unpredictable. Few could’ve guessed that Lilia Vu would win two majors or that Lydia Ko would fail to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, which she won the year before.

It was a year of big moves – in both directions – and the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings tells the tale.

How they work:

Jeff Sagarin’s rating system is based on a mathematical formula that uses a player’s won-lost-tied record against other players when they play on the same course on the same day, and the stroke differential between those players, then links all players to one another based on common opponents. The ratings give an indication of who is playing well over the past 52 weeks.

Also, players must have played in at least 10 events to be ranked. Editor’s note: We’ve included the Rolex rankings for the sake of comparison.

UP: Hyo Joo Kim

Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea hits a tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

End of 2022: No. 8.

End of 2023: No. 1.

Hyo Joo Kim’s consistent play landed her atop the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings at the close of the year. Kim led the tour in rounds under par and finished second on tour in scoring average. She compiled a head-to-head record of 2,167 wins, 344 losses and 66 ties all season.

Kim won the Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America in October and in the majors she was 11th at the Chevron Championship, tied for 20th at the KPMG Women’s PGA, tied for sixth at the U.S. Women’s Open, tied for 20th at the Amundi Evian and tied for fourth at the AIG Women’s Open.

Rolex ranking: No. 8.

UP: Ruoning "Ronni" Yin

Ruoning Yin of China at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath Golf Club in Tadworth, England. (Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)

End of 2022: No. 104.

End of 2023: No. 3.

A left wrist injury caused by overuse cleared up in early 2023 and Yin took off, winning in only her second start of the season at the Dio Implant Open. She then became only the second Chinese player to win a major. Yin shot 67 on Sunday at the KPMG Women’s PGA, hitting a staggering 36 greens over the weekend.

Rolex ranking: No. 2.

UP: Angel Yin

Angel Yin smiles beside the 18th green during the 2023 Women’s British Open at Walton Heath Golf Club in Englad. (Photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)

End of 2022: No. 122.

End of 2023: No. 14.

The powerful Yin took a more conservative approach this season and tried to play with the same kind of emotion she brings to the Solheim Cup – because that’s her personality.

The changes led to her first LPGA victory in her 159th career start at the 2023 Buick LPGA Shanghai. Yin also won the $1 million bonus for claiming the Aon Risk Reward Challenge. She led the tour in strokes gained putting.

Rolex ranking: No. 22.

UP: Rose Zhang

Rose Zhang reacts after sinking her putt for birdie on the 18th green during the second round of the 2023 Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Malaysia. (Photo: Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)

End of 2022: Unranked.

End of 2023: No. 19.

Zhang didn’t appear in last year’s Sagarins because she was still dominating the amateur scene. The Stanford star turned professional in May after winning her second consecutive NCAA Championship and then became the first player in 72 years to win in her first LPGA tour start as a professional at the Mizuho Americas Open.

Rolex ranking: No. 26.

DOWN: Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko of New Zealand reacts as she walks towards the second fairway during the final round of the 2023 BMW Ladies Championship on the Seowon Hills course at Seowon Valley Country Club in South Korea. (Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

End of 2022: No. 1.

End of 2023: No. 45.

Ko took a far greater plunge in the Sagarins because they’re based on a one-year window, while the Rolex Rankings use two years. The Kiwi failed to contend at an LPGA event until October, when she finished third at the BMW Ladies Championship, a tournament she won last year but required a sponsor exemption to get into this season.

Rolex ranking: No. 11.

DOWN: Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson walks the fourth fairway during the first round of the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. (Photo: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports)

End of 2022: No. 14.

End of 2023: No. 67.

The good news for Thompson is that she ended the season on a high after finding something that worked with new instructor Tony Ruggiero. Thompson’s driver, normally her biggest weapon, was lost for a large part of the season.

Thompson missed the cut in eight of her first 10 starts on the LPGA before turning things around in time for the Solheim Cup.

Rolex ranking: No. 31.

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