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10 things to know about the women’s Rolex Rankings, which debuted on this day in 2006

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:

Who was the first World No. 1?

Annika Sorenstam of <a class="link " href="https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/teams/sweden-women/" data-i13n="sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link" data-ylk="slk:Sweden;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0">Sweden</a> 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.

How do the rankings work?

Inbee Park first rose to No. 1 on April 15, 2013. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
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.

Who has been No. 1 the longest?

2023 Amundi Evian Championship

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.

Who is the youngest to reach No. 1?

2024 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions

Lydia Ko became the youngest player to reach No. 1 at 17 years, 9 months, 9 days on Feb. 2, 2015.

Who had the longest stretch at No. 1?

2005 MasterCard Classic
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.

Who spent the shortest total time at No. 1

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 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.

Which country has the most weeks at No. 1?

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
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.

Who is the current No. 1?

CME Group Tour Championship
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.

Which country dominates the top 100?

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - JUNE 17: 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)
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.

Story originally appeared on GolfWeek