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What a difference a year can make.
In a New York minute, one can go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows — and vice versa.
Here are several notable who made big moves — up and down — in the Rolex Rankings this year:
Who’s up?
Linn Grant + 233 | No. 259 to No. 26 (90%)
The 23-year-old had a historic year and broke barriers. In June, she became the DP World Tour’s first female winner with a nine-shot rout at the Scandinavian Mixed. Meanwhile, she claimed four wins on the Ladies European Tour en route to capturing the circuit’s Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year award, following in the footsteps of fellow Swedes Annika Sörenstam and Anna Nordqvist. In six LPGA starts, Grant had four top-10s, however, none of them came on American soil due to U.S. travel restrictions related to her COVID-19 vaccination status.
Atthaya Thitikul +16 | No. 19 to No. 3 (84%)
The 19-year-old Thai fulfilled her lofty expectations, notching two LPGA wins and collecting 16 total top-10s (the most on tour) to become the second-youngest world No. 1 ever, though she’s dropped two spots since. Not to mention, Thitikul led the tour this year in birdies and sub par holes.
“I hadn’t thought that I would be No. 1 in the world that fast,” the 2022 LPGA Rookie of the Year said in November, “and I didn’t think I would achieve this in my first year on the LPGA as well. Overall, I’m feeling great. Feeling grateful that this has happened this year.”
Lilia Vu +201 | No. 244 to No. 43 (82%)
The 24-year-old was a standout player at UCLA and the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world for 31 weeks in 2018 and ‘19, but as an LPGA rookie in 2019, her best finish was a T-72 and she missed seven cuts in nine starts.
After returning to the Epson Tour for two years, Vu earned her tour card for 2022 and looked like the player many thought she’d be when she helped the U.S. to Curtis Cup and Palmer Cup wins — recording eight top-10s and three…
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