Two-time LPGA Tour winner is second player from People’s Republic of China to reach No. 1
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Sept. 11, 2023 –Twenty-year-old Ruoning Yin has reached No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for the first time in her young career, according to the latest Rankings update. She becomes the 18th different player to reach No. 1 in the world and, for the first time in the history of the Rolex Rankings, the fifth-different player to hold the position in the same calendar year. In both 2022 and 2017, four different players held the No. 1 spot, which was the previous record.
Yin is the second player from the People’s Republic of China to get to No. 1 since the inception of the Rolex Rankings in 2006. She joins Shanshan Feng, who was No. 1 for 23 weeks from November 13, 2017 until April 22, 2018. At age 20 years, 11 months and 7 days, Yin is the third player to reach No. 1 at the age of 20 or younger, joining Atthaya Thitikul (19 years, 8 months and 11 days in October 2022) and Lydia Ko (17 years, 9 months and 9 days in February 2015 and 18 years, 6 months and 2 days old in October 2015).
Yin moved from No. 2 to No. 1 after a solo third place finish at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, bumping two-time 2023 major champion Lilia Vu, who has held the position since August 14. Yin’s result in Cincinnati is her third top-three finish in a row and fourth in her last five starts on the LPGA Tour.
“Before this week (in Cincinnati) I know what position I finish I can be the world No. 1. I just keep that in my mind. Last hole I check the leaderboard and I was like, okay, another week finish third, but assuming I'll be the world No. 1. It's just amazing,” Yin said after her final round at the Kroger Queen City Championship. “I got goosebumps. I mean, I think, yeah, world No. 1 is the big step on the way to chasing Shanshan.”
Yin became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the DIO Implant LA Open in March to join Feng (10 wins) as just the second player from the People’s Republic of China to win on Tour. She added her maiden major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol in June. She has finished in the top four seven times this season, including her two wins, and has three additional top-20 finishes. Yin was also the highest ranked member of the People’s Republic of China Team at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown in May at TPC Harding Park.
A 2022 LPGA Tour rookie, Yin first earned Tour status after a T4 finish at the 2021 LPGA Q-Series. She recorded her first top-10 result of her Tour career at the 2022 Dana Open where she finished in a tie for fourth. Prior to joining the LPGA Tour, Yin turned professional in 2020, winning the China LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament and joined the China LPGA (CLPGA), where she won her first three-straight events and received two Guinness World Record titles for most consecutive wins on the CLPGA and most consecutive wins on the CLPGA from professional debut. As an amateur, she won nine titles in 2019 and reached a career-high 64th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
History of the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings Number OnePosition:
| # | Player | Age (Y/M/D) | From: | To: | No. of Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | Ruoning Yin | 20/11/7 | September 11, 2023 | Present | 1 |
| 42 | Lilia Vu | 25/10/0 | August 14, 2023 | September 10, 2023 | 4 |
| 41 | Nelly Korda (5) | 25/0/3 | July 31, 2023 | August 13, 2023 | 2 |
| 40 | Jin Young Ko (5) | 27/10/15 | May 22, 2023 | July 30, 2023 | 10 |
| 39 | Nelly Korda (4) | 24/8/27 | April 24, 2023 | May 21, 2023 | 4 |
| 38 | Lydia Ko (3) | 25/7/4 | November 28, 2022 | April 23, 2023 | 21 |
| 37 | Nelly Korda (3) | 24/3/17 | November 14, 2022 | November 27, 2022 | 2 |
| 36 | Atthaya Thitikul | 19/8/11 | October 31, 2022 | November 13, 2022 | 2 |
| 35 | Jin Young Ko(4) | 26/6/24 | January 31,2022 | October 30, 2022 | 38 |
| 34 | Nelly Korda(2) | 23/3/11 | November 8,2021 | January 30,2022 | 12 |
| 33 | Jin Young Ko(3) | 26/3/18 | October 25,2021 | November 7,2021 | 2 |
| 32 | NellyKorda | 22/11/0 | June 28,2021 | October 24,2021 | 17 |
| 31 | Jin Young Ko(2) | 24/0/22 | July 29,2019 | June 27,2021 | 100 |
| 30 | Sung Hyun Park(4) | 25/9/10 | July 1,2019 | July 28,2019 | 4 |
| 29 | Jin Young Ko(1) | 23/9/1 | April 8,2019 | June 30,2019 | 12 |
| 28 | Sung Hyun Park(3) | 25/5/13 | March 4,2019 | April 7,2019 | 5 |
| 27 | Ariya Jutanugarn(3) | 22/11/6 | October 29,2018 | March 3,2019 | 18 |
| 26 | Sung Hyun Park(2) | 24/10/29 | August 20,2018 | October 28,2018 | 10 |
| 25 | Ariya Jutanugarn(2) | 22/8/7 | July 30,2018 | August 19,2018 | 3 |
| 24 | Inbee Park(4) | 29/9/11 | April 23,2018 | July 29,2018 | 14 |
| 23 | ShanshanFeng | 28/3/8 | November 13,2017 | April 22,2018 | 23 |
| 22 | Sung Hyun Park(1) | 24/1/16 | November 6,2017 | November 12,2017 | 1 |
| 21 | So YeonRyu | 26/11/28 | June 26,2017 | November 5,2017 | 19 |
| 20 | Ariya Jutanugarn(1) | 21/6/20 | June 12,2017 | June 25,2017 | 2 |
| 19 | Lydia Ko(2) | 18/6/2 | October 26,2015 | June 11,2017 | 85 |
| 18 | Inbee Park(3) | 26/11/3 | June 15,2015 | October 25,2015 | 19 |
| 17 | Lydia Ko(1) | 17/9/9 | February 2,2015 | June 14,2015 | 19 |
| 16 | Inbee Park(2) | 26/3/15 | October 27,2014 | February 1,2015 | 14 |
| 15 | Stacy Lewis(2) | 29/3/17 | June 2,2014 | October 26,2014 | 21 |
| 14 | Inbee Park(1) | 24/9/3 | April 15,2013 | June 1,2014 | 59 |
| 13 | Stacy Lewis(1) | 28/1/2 | March 18,2013 | April 14,2013 | 4 |
| 12 | YaniTseng | 22/0/22 | February 14,2011 | March 17,2013 | 109 |
| 11 | Jiyai Shin(3) | 22/6/4 | November 1,2010 | February 13,2011 | 15 |
| 10 | Cristie Kerr(3) | 33/0/13 | October 25,2010 | October 31,2010 | 1 |
| 9 | Ai Miyazato(3) | 25/2/4 | August 23,2010 | October 24,2010 | 9 |
| 8 | Cristie Kerr(2) | 32/10/4 | August 16,2010 | August 22,2010 | 1 |
| 7 | Jiyai Shin(2) | 22/2/28 | July 26,2010 | August 15,2010 | 3 |
| 6 | Ai Miyazato(2) | 25/1/0 | July 19,2010 | July 25,2010 | 1 |
| 5 | Cristie Kerr(1) | 32/8/16 | June 28,2010 | July 18,2010 | 3 |
| 4 | Ai Miyazato(1) | 25/0/2 | June 21,2010 | June 27,2010 | 1 |
| 3 | Jiyai Shin(1) | 22/0/5 | May 3,2010 | June 20,2010 | 7 |
| 2 | LorenaOchoa | 25/5/8 | April 23,2007 | May 2,2010 | 158 |
| 1 | AnnikaSorenstam | 35/4/11 | February 20,2006 | April 22,2007 | 61 |
Career Weeks at No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings:
| Jin Young Ko | 163 weeks |
| Lorena Ochoa | 158 weeks |
| LydiaKo | 125weeks |
| YaniTseng | 109weeks |
| InbeePark | 106weeks |
| AnnikaSorenstam | 61weeks |
| NellyKorda | 38weeks |
| StacyLewis | 25weeks |
| JiyaiShin | 25weeks |
| ShanshanFeng | 23weeks |
| AriyaJutanugarn | 23weeks |
| Sung HyunPark | 20weeks |
| So YeonRyu | 19weeks |
| AiMiyazato | 11weeks |
| CristieKerr | 5weeks |
| Atthaya Thitikul | 2 weeks |
| Lilia Vu | 4 weeks |
| Ruoning Yin | 1 week |
