The Rolex Rankings launched in February 2006 with the greatest player in the modern era, Annika Sorenstam, occupying the top spot. Sorenstam remained No. 1 for 60 weeks before Lorena Ochoa overtook her. There wasn’t much turnover in those early days, with Ochoa maintaining her position – as Sorenstam retired in 2008 – for 158 weeks.
The initial top 10 when the rankings debuted included: 1. Annika Sorenstam, 2. Paula Creamer, 3. Michelle Wie West, 4. Yuri Fudoh, 5. Cristie Kerr, 6. Ai Miyazato, 7. Lorena Ochoa, 8. Jeong Jang, 9. Het-Won Han, 10. Juli Inkster.
Since Ochoa left the game in the spring of 2010, however, there have been 13 different players rise to No. 1. Five South Korean players have spent a combined 276 weeks atop the rankings. In all, players from nine different countries have been No. 1, with current No. 1 Nelly Korda becoming the third American in June 2021.
Four players who reached No. 1 in the past 15 years have since retired.
Here’s a complete list of players who have ascended to the top:
1
Annika Sorenstam
Annika Sorenstam holds the trophy after winning the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open at Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island. (Photo: Nick Laham/Getty Images)
It’s fitting that Annika Sorenstam became the first player to be ranked No. 1 on the LPGA. She was No. 1 in the minds of everyone long before eight tours came together to sanction a worldwide women’s world golf ranking, but on Feb. 21, 2006, it became officially official. She stayed there for 60 weeks.
2
Lorena Ochoa
At the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland, Lorena Ochoa plays the Old Course during her 2007 Women’s British Open win.
No player has spent as much time at the top as Lorena Ochoa, who rose to the top on April 23, 2007, and remained there for 158 weeks until May 2, 2010. She was removed from the rankings the following week, while ranked No. 2, after retiring from the tour to start a family.
3
Jiyai Shin
Jiyai Shin reacts after making a birdie on the second playoff hole to win the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship.
One of the most decorated players still competing worldwide in the game, Jiyai Shin first rose to No. 1 on May 3, 2010. Shin spent a total of 25 weeks at No. 1 over the course of three stints. In 2014, she left the LPGA and moved to compete on the Japan LPGA full time. She has amassed 61 titles worldwide, including two majors.
4
Ai Miyazato
Ai Miyazato of Japan speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the start of The Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on September 12, 2017, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Ai Miyazato spent a total of 11 weeks in the top spot over the course of 2010, a season in which she won four times on the LPGA. The Japanese star, who has since retired from tour, won nine times on the LPGA but never a major.
5
Cristie Kerr
Cristie Kerr celebrates with the trophy after her victory at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club on July 1, 2007, in Southern Pines, North Carolina. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)
A record-setting 12-shot victory at what’s now known as the KPMG Women’s PGA catapulted Cristie Kerr into the No. 1 ranking in the summer of 2010, making her the first American to accomplish the feat. She remained there for three weeks and never returned.
6
Yani Tseng
Yani Tseng photographed at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
After Ochoa retired, a trio of players – Shin, Miyazato and Kerr – shared the No. 1 title for the rest of 2010. But the back-and-forth ended after Yani Tseng overtook the position on Valentine’s Day in 2011. The Taiwanese superstar would maintain that position for 109 consecutive weeks, the second-longest streak in ranking history behind Ochoa. She’s won 15 times on the LPGA, including five majors, but has struggled mightily for quite some time.
7
Stacy Lewis
Stacy Lewis won the Women’s British Open on the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland, on August 4, 2013.
Stacy Lewis became the second American to reach the pinnacle of the game on March 18, 2013, after winning what’s now known as the Cognizant Founders Cup. LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park knocked off Lewis four weeks later, but the former Razorback would climb back to No. 1 in 2014 and remain there for another 21 weeks. Lewis won two Player of the Year titles in a three-year span as well as the Vare Trophy for low-scoring average in 2013 and 2014.
8
Inbee Park
Inbee Park poses for a picture with her trophy while her parents, Sungja Kim (left) and Gungyu Park, kiss her after she won the U.S. Women’s Open.
Inbee Park first claimed the No. 1 ranking after winning the 2013 Kraft Nabisco (now the Chevron), the first of three consecutive major titles that season for the LPGA Hall of Famer. She remained there for 59 weeks in that initial run and climbed back to the top on four other occasions for a total of 106 weeks.
9
Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko speaks to the media during her press conference after winning the Evian Championship on September 13, 2015, in France. (Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Like nearly everything else on Lydia Ko’s resume, her ascension to No. 1 in the world was record-setting. The prodigious Kiwi became the youngest ever to reach No. 1 – male or female – on Feb. 2, 2015, at the tender age of 17 years, 9 months and 9 days. She has, so far, enjoyed two stints at the top for a total of 104 weeks. Ko last topped the world in June 2017.
10
Ariya Jutanugarn
Ariya Jutanugarn puts the icing on a career-changing year at the CME Group Tour Championship.
Ariya Jutanugarn overtook Ko in the rankings on June 12, 2017, becoming the second-youngest player in LPGA history to reach No. 1 at 21 years, 6 months and 20 days. She also became the first Thai player – male or female – to reach the top. Jutanugarn has spent a total of 23 weeks as the No. 1 player over the course of three different periods.
11
So Yeon Ryu
So Yeon Ryu celebrates after winning the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G on June 25, 2017, in Rogers, Arkansas. (Photo: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
So Yeon Ryu ousted Jutanugarn after only two weeks for the No. 1 title after her fifth career victory at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Ryu, now a two-time major winner, became the third South Korean to be ranked No. 1. She held the position for 19 consecutive weeks in 2017 and has yet to get there again.
12
Sung Hyun Park
Sung Hyun Park poses with the trophy after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. (Photo: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)
The first time Sung Hyun Park reached No. 1 in the world, she stayed there for only one week. The two-time major winner has since spent two more periods at the top of the world for a total of 16 weeks. Recent struggles, however, have her currently ranked 110th.
13
Shanshan Feng
Shanshan Feng takes a selfie as she poses with the trophy after winning the Toto Japan Classic 2017 at the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course in Omitama, Ibaraki, Japan. (Photo: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
Shanshan Feng’s list of firsts for China began when she became the first Chinese player to earn an LPGA card in 2008. She went on to win 10 times on the LPGA, nabbing China’s first major. She became the first Chinese player to become No. 1 in the world on Nov. 13, 2017, and spent a total of 23 weeks there. Feng retired in 2021 after the Tokyo Olympics.
14
Jin Young Ko
Jin Young Ko waves to the fans after winning the 2019 ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club. (Photo: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)
Jin Young Ko’s rise to No. 1 in April 2019 came as a result of her victory at what’s now known as the Chevron Championship. She’d go on to win a second major title that same season at the Evian. Ko’s three stints at No. 1 give her 106 weeks at the top. In all, five South Koreans have spent 276 weeks at No. 1.
15
Nelly Korda
Nelly Korda poses with the trophy after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club on June 27, 2021, in Johns Creek, Georgia. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Nelly Korda broke through with her first major title last June at the KPMG Women’s PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club and then rose to No. 1 the following day. Korda became the first American to hold the top spot since Lewis in 2014. After being overtaken by Jin Young Ko for two weeks last fall, Korda has been No. 1 since Nov. 8, 2021.
