Jin-young Ko Rolex Ranking 2
5 wins
13 Top 10s
Rolex Player of the year
2021 Money winner
Top 3 stats
- 2nd Greens in Regulation
- 6th Putts per GIR
- 2nd Scoring average
At #1 from South Korea Jin-young Ko. She won 5 times on the LPGA tour in 2021, and for awhile it looked as though her era of dominance was coming to an end. For a few months her proximity to hole on approaches had fallen off, and as a result her Putting Average decreased. Which led to her losing the World number 1 ranking. Of course we all know how the season ended. Erasing any doubt about who the best player in the world is. At least in my mind.
Nelly Korda Rolex Ranking 1
4 wins
10 Top 10s
Olympic Gold
Top 3 stats
- 7th Driving Distance
- 5th Greens in Regulation
- 1rst Scoring Average
At #2 from America Nelly Korda had undoubtedly her best season ever. She ascended to the number 1 Rolex Rankings player, and appeared disappointed after losing the Player of the year to Jin-young Ko. I expect her to be working hard on her game during the break.
Lydia Ko Rolex Ranking 5
1 win
11 Top 10s
Vare Trophy winner
Top 3 stats
- 1rst Putts per GIR
- 2nd Putting Average
- 3rd Scoring Average
At #3 from New Zealand Lydia Ko enjoyed a return to form in 2021. At times she looked ready to return to the top of the World Rankings. What many have missed is that although she only won once, Lydia Ko finished 2nd four times. She was continually improving as the year progressed. I expect her to be at the Top of her game next season.
Patty Tavatanakit Rolex Ranking 13
1 win
10 Top 10s
ANA Inspiration Champion
Top 3 stats
- 8th Driving Distance
- 9th Putts per GIR
- 11th Scoring Average
At #4 from Thailand Patty Tavatanakit burst on to the LPGA Tour by winning the first major of the year. She proved that wasn't a fluke by posting another 10 top 10 finishes. Her combination of power and putting is deadly on so many courses. As she becomes more familiar with the LPGA Tour locations she'll win more events.
Nasa Hataoka Rolex Ranking 6
2 wins
5 Top 10s
- 26th Putting Average
- 4th Sand Saves
- 25th Scoring Average
At #5 from Japan Nasa Hataoka made a huge improvement in her game the second half of the season. I have to admit. I thought she was on the decline. Then she came second at the U.S. Open seemingly out of nowhere. Follow that up with a couple of wins, and then finishing the season coming in 2nd at the CME Tour Championship. Yeah Nasa Hataoka is far from done.
Minjee Lee Rolex Ranking 7
1 win
7 Top 10s
Evian Championship Champion
Top 3 stats
- 17th Greens in Regulation
- 8th Sand Saves
- 22nd Scoring Average
At #6 from Australia Minjee Lee spent a good part of the season being overshadowed by fellow Australian Hannah Green. Things changed in July when she finished 5th at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, and followed that up by winning the major Amundi Evian Championship. Minjee is a veteran, and with a little more consistency will be challenging for titles each and every week.
Danielle Kang Rolex Ranking 11
9 Top 10s
Top 3 stats
- 7th Putts per GIR
- 4th Putting Average
- 10th Scoring Average
At #7 from America Danielle Kang can compete against the very best in every category except Driving Distance. Although it's an advantage to be long off the Tee. It isn't necessary to be dominant on the LPGA Tour. She looked very good early in tournaments. Then had a tendency to falter on the weekends. It looked to me like too often she was trying to match her competitors stroke for stroke. If she learns to stick to her game and ignore what her opponents are doing. She will be a dominant force.
Inbee Park Rolex Ranking 3
1 win
9 Top 10s
Top 3 stats
- 2nd Putts per GIR
- 1rst Putting Average
- 5th Scoring Average
At #8 from South Korea Inbee Park just knows how to compete. Lime Danielle Kang on this list she doesn't hit it long. That doesn't really matter when you are the best putter on tour. Inbee doesn't need to hit it close to sink putts. All she needs to do is hit Greens. As long as Inbee is healthy she will compete. She has mastered her game.
Lexi Thompson Rolex Ranking 12
7 Top 10s
Top 3 stats
- 4th Driving Distance
- 1rst Greens in Regulation
- 6th Scoring Average
At #9 from America Lexi Thompson. From Tee to Green there was nobody better than Lexi Thompson in 2021. That's where the story ends. It's got to sound like a broken record by now. If Lexi could improve her putting by 1 putt per Round. Not a major improvement. That wouldn't put her in the Top 10 for Putting Average or anything crazy like that. If she could do that though, she would have had the lowest Scoring Average on tour. That's right, better than Nelly Korda's. That's all it would take for Lexi to potentially reach World number 1.
Yuka Saso Rolex Ranking 8
1 win
4 Top 10s
U.S. Open Champion
Top 3 stats
- 4th Putts per GIR
- 1rst Sand Saves
- 4th Scoring Average
At #10 from the Philippines Yuka Saso. Yuka Saso has the game to go low. That game comes with a lot of risk though. She reminds me of Phil Mickelson. Her Tee to Green game is bold and sometimes far too risky. Having learned to play that way though her Scrambling ability is top notch. She will benefit from the course knowledge she gained this season.
So that's my current Top 10 players on the LPGA Tour according to my rankings.
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Wouldn't argue with those rankings. One player I think might be there at the end of next year is Celine Boutier, whom I think a real contender for a top 5 spot. There seemed to be some very tired players at the end of the season; which I suppose shows the extent to which physical fitness, mental toughness, and experience on the tour come to the fore in the last few tournaments -JYK, NK, Hataoka, Boutier, Thompson, and a few others. The Thai players were generally very disappointing this year and Thitikul looks to be the best prospect among them for next year. Although the media have always made it a 2-horse race when JYK and NK are in th…