South Korean holds off late charge to maintain top spot
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., December 6, 2010 - South Korean Jiyai Shin, the first LPGA player who ascended to Rolex Rankings No. 1 following Lorena Ochoa's retirement in May, also ends the LPGA Tour season with the top spot despite a tight, year-long shuffle. Shin joins Annika Sorenstam (2006) and Ochoa (2007-2009) as LPGA year-end No. 1s following the launch on February 21, 2006 of the Rolex Rankings, the first-ever comprehensive world rankings system for women's golf.
"The Race for the Rolex Ranking No. 1 position was competitive throughout the season," Shin said today. "I feel very honored to finish the season No. 1. I'm already looking forward to the 2011 season and I will work hard during the off-season to maintain the top position. It will be great motivation for me."
Including this week, Shin has spent a total of 16 weeks as Rolex Rankings No. 1 in 2010, followed by Ai Miyazato (11 weeks) and Cristie Kerr (5). Her first run at the top spot lasted seven weeks before she was sidelined by an emergency appendectomy at the LPGA State Farm Classic in June. Shin regained the top spot after winning the Evian Masters in July but only held it for three weeks before Kerr secured it for the second time. A late-season run, however, pushed Shin back to No. 1, initially following a fourth-place finish at the LPGA Hana Bank Championship in late October followed by her win the following week at the Mizuno Classic in November. Shin also won the 2010 Korean LPGA Championship in September.
"We are all proud of what Jiyai has achieved as only the third-ever LPGA season-ending Rolex Rankings No. 1," said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. "She has earned it through her passion and performance, made even more impressive since she held off so many other competitors clamoring for the top spot following her mid-season emergency appendectomy."
The Rolex Rankings evaluate a player's performance over a rolling two-year period, so Shin's 2009 season--when she won the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award and nearly won the Rolex Player of the Year, narrowly falling to Ochoa--also factors into the ranking. Rolex Rankings points are awarded based on the field strength and evaluate a player's performance over 104 weeks, weighted in favor of the current year with even more importance placed on the most recent 13 weeks.
The 22-year-old turned professional in 2005 and burst onto the Korean KLPGA scene in 2006, earning Rookie and Player of the Year honors on the heels of four victories. In 2007, Shin broke the KLPGA career money record set by Il Mi Chung (99 events) after just 33 events and recorded 16 top 10 finishes in 18 events played including nine victories. Shin won three times on the LPGA Tour - including the RICOH Women's British Open and season-ending ADT Championship - in 2008 as a non-member and seven times on the KLPGA including the season Grand Slam. In all, Shin has 34 professional wins (21 KLPGA, eight LPGA, three JLPGA, two Ladies Asian Golf Tour) in her fifth season of full-time professional competition.
Shin was at a driving range in South Korea in 2004 when her mother and two younger siblings were injured in a car accident. Her mother died as a result of her injuries and her siblings spent nearly a year in the hospital - with Shin at their side - before recovering. Her father invested her mother's life insurance money into Shin's golf career.
About the Rolex Rankings
The Rolex Rankings is the first-ever world rankings system for women's golf sanctioned by the five major women's professional golf Tours: the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA); Ladies European Tour (LET); Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (LPGA of Japan); Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA); Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG); as well as the Ladies Golf Union (LGU), which administers the Ricoh Women's British Open. The Rolex Rankings are the only women's world rankings that incorporate player performances from the five major tours and the LPGA Futures Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA. R2IT, an independent software development company developed the software for the Rolex Rankings and maintains the Rolex Rankings on a weekly basis.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., December 6, 2010 - South Korean Jiyai Shin, the first LPGA player who ascended to Rolex Rankings No. 1 following Lorena Ochoa's retirement in May, also ends the LPGA Tour season with the top spot despite a tight, year-long shuffle. Shin joins Annika Sorenstam (2006) and Ochoa (2007-2009) as LPGA year-end No. 1s following the launch on February 21, 2006 of the Rolex Rankings, the first-ever comprehensive world rankings system for women's golf.
"The Race for the Rolex Ranking No. 1 position was competitive throughout the season," Shin said today. "I feel very honored to finish the season No. 1. I'm already looking forward to the 2011 season and I will work hard during the off-season to maintain the top position. It will be great motivation for me."
Including this week, Shin has spent a total of 16 weeks as Rolex Rankings No. 1 in 2010, followed by Ai Miyazato (11 weeks) and Cristie Kerr (5). Her first run at the top spot lasted seven weeks before she was sidelined by an emergency appendectomy at the LPGA State Farm Classic in June. Shin regained the top spot after winning the Evian Masters in July but only held it for three weeks before Kerr secured it for the second time. A late-season run, however, pushed Shin back to No. 1, initially following a fourth-place finish at the LPGA Hana Bank Championship in late October followed by her win the following week at the Mizuno Classic in November. Shin also won the 2010 Korean LPGA Championship in September.
"We are all proud of what Jiyai has achieved as only the third-ever LPGA season-ending Rolex Rankings No. 1," said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. "She has earned it through her passion and performance, made even more impressive since she held off so many other competitors clamoring for the top spot following her mid-season emergency appendectomy."
Rolex Rankings, December 6, 2010 | |||
Rank | Player | Country | Avg Points |
1 | Jiyai Shin | KOR | 11.17 |
2 | Cristie Kerr | USA | 10.70 |
3 | Suzann Pettersen | NOR | 10.70 |
4 | Na Yeon Choi | KOR | 10.46 |
5 | Yani Tseng | TPE | 10.30 |
6 | Ai Miyazato | JPN | 10.02 |
7 | In-Kyung Kim | KOR | 8.34 |
8 | Sun Ju Ahn | KOR | 7.41 |
9 | Song-Hee Kim | KOR | 7.35 |
10 | Michelle Wie | USA | 7.30 |
The Rolex Rankings evaluate a player's performance over a rolling two-year period, so Shin's 2009 season--when she won the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award and nearly won the Rolex Player of the Year, narrowly falling to Ochoa--also factors into the ranking. Rolex Rankings points are awarded based on the field strength and evaluate a player's performance over 104 weeks, weighted in favor of the current year with even more importance placed on the most recent 13 weeks.
The 22-year-old turned professional in 2005 and burst onto the Korean KLPGA scene in 2006, earning Rookie and Player of the Year honors on the heels of four victories. In 2007, Shin broke the KLPGA career money record set by Il Mi Chung (99 events) after just 33 events and recorded 16 top 10 finishes in 18 events played including nine victories. Shin won three times on the LPGA Tour - including the RICOH Women's British Open and season-ending ADT Championship - in 2008 as a non-member and seven times on the KLPGA including the season Grand Slam. In all, Shin has 34 professional wins (21 KLPGA, eight LPGA, three JLPGA, two Ladies Asian Golf Tour) in her fifth season of full-time professional competition.
Shin was at a driving range in South Korea in 2004 when her mother and two younger siblings were injured in a car accident. Her mother died as a result of her injuries and her siblings spent nearly a year in the hospital - with Shin at their side - before recovering. Her father invested her mother's life insurance money into Shin's golf career.
About the Rolex Rankings
The Rolex Rankings is the first-ever world rankings system for women's golf sanctioned by the five major women's professional golf Tours: the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA); Ladies European Tour (LET); Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (LPGA of Japan); Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA); Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG); as well as the Ladies Golf Union (LGU), which administers the Ricoh Women's British Open. The Rolex Rankings are the only women's world rankings that incorporate player performances from the five major tours and the LPGA Futures Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA. R2IT, an independent software development company developed the software for the Rolex Rankings and maintains the Rolex Rankings on a weekly basis.