Park returns to Top 10 after Founders Cup win

[March 20, 2018]    South Korea's Inbee Park rose 10 spots to No. 9 in this week's Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings following the 29-year-old's five-shot victory at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

It marks a return to the top 10 for the former No. 1 player, who has returned to full strength following a lingering thumb injury from 2016. Park's victory Sunday was the 13th of her LPGA Tour career, tying her with Sandra Palmer for 28th on the all-time wins list.

Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn moved up two spots to No. 5 after tying for second place with Marina Alex and England's Laura Davies. Alex climbed 11 spots to No. 37, while the 54-year-old Davis vaulted 208 spots to No. 155.

The top four spots remained unchanged, with China's Shenshen Feng still No. 1 with an average of 7.13 points, followed by Lexi Thompson (6.92) and South Korea's So Yeon Ryu (6.42) and Sung Hyun Park (6.22).

"I didn't expect to win very early (in the season)," Park said after her victory Sunday. "In Singapore (at the HSBC Women's World Championship earlier this month), I felt like my ball-striking was quite good I and just needed to work on the putter a little bit. It has worked pretty good this week."

Davies, already in the World Golf Hall of Fame, was looking for her first win since the 2001 Wegmans LPGA.

"It would have been huge," Davies said. "I knew what the record was and that I hadn't won in who knows how long."

Beginning with this week's release, four tours - the China Ladies Professional Golf Association TOUR (CLPGA TOUR), Ladies European Tour Access Series (LETAS), Symetra Tour and the Taiwan Ladies Professional Golf Association (TLPGA) - will receive a bonus strength of field (Bonus SOF) of six points for all tournaments that are not co-sanctioned with a tour which receives the minimum strength of field of 50.

Tours receiving the minimum strength of field are the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), Ladies European Tour (LET), Ladies Professional Golf Association of Japan (JLPGA), Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) and Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG).

The Bonus SOF will reward those tournaments that reach the middle of a band of points on the points distribution table, enabling them to advance to the next band and thus award points to more players. For example, a tournament with a natural strength of field of 15, will receive a bonus of six points for a total strength of field of 21.

--Field Level Media

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