The Rolex Rankings debuted less than 20 years ago on Feb. 21, 2006. For context, the men’s Official World Golf Ranking has been around since 1986.
In that time, 18 different women from nine different countries have risen to the top, giving fans from all over the world reason to celebrate.
The rankings are used to fill fields at the majors, determine teams like the Solheim Cup and International Crown and decide which top players qualify for the Olympics.
Both amateurs and professionals are eligible and the rankings are updated every Monday.
Here are 10 interesting things to note about the Rolex Rankings, which are now 18 years old:
Annika Sorenstam of Sweden holds the US Open Championship trophy aloft after the playoff of the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open on July 3, 2006 at Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
It should come as no surprise that Annika Sorenstam, the greatest player of the modern era, topped the first edition of the Rolex Rankings. Sorenstam remained there for 60 weeks before being overtaken by Lorena Ochoa.
Inbee Park first rose to No. 1 on April 15, 2013. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
The rankings award points based on field strength (with the exception of the five majors, which are fixed) and a player’s performance over a rolling two-year period, with more weight placed on the most recent 13 weeks. A minimum divisor (35) is also used.
Players are ranked based on their average points per tournament, which is determined by dividing the total number of points by the number of eligible tournaments played during the 104-week period.
Jin Young Ko of South Korea tees off on the 13th hole during the Second Round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 28, 2023 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Jin Young Ko holds the record for the longest time at No. 1 with 163 weeks over the course of five different stretches. Lorena Ochoa was No. 1 for 158 weeks and Lydia Ko for 125.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand smiles as she walks off the ninth tee during the third round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on January 20, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Lydia Ko became the youngest player to reach No. 1 at 17 years, 9 months, 9 days on Feb. 2, 2015.
Lorena Ochoa laughs on the practice green prior to the start of the 2005 MasterCard Classic at Bosque Real Country Club in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Lorena Ochoa spent 158 consecutive weeks at No. 1, right up until she retired in 2010.
Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand celebrates with the Vare trophy after the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 19, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Atthaya Thitikul first rose to No. 1 on Oct. 31, 2022. She spent two weeks on top before Nelly Korda knocked her off. Thitikul hasn’t yet made it back there.
Sung Hyun Park, of South Korea, plays her shot from the fourth tee during the final round of the Kia Classic LPGA golf tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2019, in Carlsbad, Calif. (AP Photo/Orlando Ramirez) ORG XMIT: CAOR101
Five South Korean players have spent a whopping 333 weeks on top of the world (Jiyai Shin, Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu, Sung Hyun Park and Jin Young Ko).
By contrast, four U.S. players (Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu) have been No. 1 a total of 91 weeks.
Lilia Vu answers a question from the media during a press conference prior to the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 14, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Lilia Vu first became No. 1 on Aug. 14 of last year. Currently in her third stretch as the world’s top player, she’s been No. 1 for a total of 24 weeks.
So Yeon Ryu of South Korea reacts after winning the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give at Blythefield Country Club on June 17, 2018 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
South Korean players have dominated the top 100 since the rankings debuted. Last year, 32 South Koreans finished inside the top 100, down from a high of 41 both in 2013 and 2017.
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