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Atthaya Thitikul had a chance to rise to No. 1 in the world last week at the BMW Ladies Championship with a fourth-place finish. The 19-year-old Thai teen held the lead heading into the final round in South Korea but struggled to a 74 in the final round, dropping her to solo sixth.
Thitikul, who will compete next week in Japan, remains No. 2 in the world and still has a chance to become only the second teenager to rise to No. 1.
Jin Young Ko, the current top-ranked player, withdrew from the BMW with a wrist injury and plans to return for the last two events of the year in Florida.
The Rolex Rankings debuted in February 2006 with Annika Sorenstam on top. Here’s a closer look at the youngest players to reach the game’s pinnacle:
Lydia Ko – 17 years, 9 months, 9 days
Lydia Ko of New Zealand poses with the trophy after winning the 2015 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship on October 25, 2015, in Miramar Resort & Country Club Taipei, Taiwan. (Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)
Lydia Ko rose to No. 1 for the first time on February 2, 2015, at the age of 17. She stayed there for 19 weeks during that first stint, and a total of 104 weeks through June 2017. She hasn’t been ranked No. 1 since that stretch.
Ko rose to No. 3 on Monday after clinching her 18th career victory last week at the BMW Ladies Championship. She hasn’t been outside the top 5 all season.
Ariya Jutanugarn – 21 years, 5 months, 20 days
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand reacts after sinking her putt during the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course on May 09, 2021, in Chonburi, Thailand. (Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)
Ariya Jutanugarn became the first Thai player to rise to No. 1 on June 12, 2017, supplanting Ko. She stayed there for only two weeks and spent a combined 23 weeks in the top spot through March 2019.
She has since dipped to 58th.
Jiyai Shin – 22 years, 5 days
Jiyai Shin of South Korea poses after her hole-in-one on the second green…
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Source : yahoo
