What a massive week for Chanettee Wannasaen, who went from Monday qualifier to tournament champion on Sunday in Oregon. The Thailand native's talent was on full display at the Portland Classic, and the 19-year-old became a Rolex First-Time winner after firing four rounds in the 60s at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. As a result, she rocketed up 312 spots in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings to No. 52, the highest ranking of her young career.
The 19-year-old has struggled in her rookie campaign. Before last week, Wannasaen had made only three cuts in 11 total starts, earning just $4,586 this year, but after a spectacular 9-under 63 on Sunday, she etched her name in the history books by becoming only the third Monday qualifier ever to win on the LPGA Tour.
"I'm feel really proud of myself because I really work hard for the trophy, and I'm very happy right now. I'm really glad for myself," said Wannasaen. "I feel thank you to my team, to my manager, to my caddie, to all the fans, my family to cheering for me."
With last week's win, the young Thai became the fourth rookie to win on the LPGA Tour this season, joining Grace Kim, who won the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei in April, Rose Zhang, who won the Mizuho America's Open in June and Alexa Pano, who won the ISPS Handa World Invitational in August. She also joins Lilia Vu (Honda LPGA Thailand), Ruoning Yin (DIO Implant LA Open), Kim, Zhang, Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women's Open), Linn Grant (Dana Open), Elizabeth Szokol (Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational), Pano and Megan Khang (CPKC Women's Open) as Rolex First-Time Winners.
While Wannasaen's move in the Rolex Rankings was impressive, her move in the Race to the CME Globe standings will be more significant as the end of the season looms large. Members finishing in the top 80 and ties on the previous season-ending Points List earn full status for the next season, and her jump from No. 176 to No. 46 has her in an excellent position to keep LPGA Tour status for 2024. She has also earned a spot in this week's Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G field and has another chance to climb in the standings.
Hyo Joon Jang Jumps to Highest Ranking In Career
Hyo Joon Jang made the second most impactful move up the Rolex Rankings, jumping up 196 spots to No. 292 in the world after a final-round 72 on Sunday to capture her first top-10 result on the LPGA Tour. Jang played solid in Portland, Ore., and carded a 62 on Saturday to play her way into her first final grouping at an LPGA Tour event.
"It's really hard to describe in a word, but definitely I learned a lot because I really haven't had this experience before," said Jang. "So, I was really grateful, and I loved it."
Like Wannasaen, Jang's move in the Rolex Rankings was impressive, but she has more work to do if she wants to retain her LPGA Tour status for the 2024 season. Her move in the Race to the CME Globe standings was significant, jumping from No. 179 to No. 131, but she'll need a few more solid finishes to move her inside the top 100 on the points list. The Republic of Korea native has made three cuts in only seven starts this season but is teeing it up in this week's Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G and has another opportunity to repeat her top-10 performance in Portland.
Ruoning Yin Eyes Top Spot in the Race to CME Globe
The 2023 Race to the CME Globe continued at the Portland Classic, and with 500 points on the line, Ruoning Yin yet again made a move in the season-long competition. With two wins this season at the DIO Implant LA Open and KPMG Women's PGA Championship and four additional top-10 finishes, Yin moves from third to second in the standings, just 252.78 points behind Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings No. 5 Celine Boutier (2,412.650 points), who has three wins at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain, The Amundi Evian Championship and FREED GROUP Women's Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf as well as three additional top 10s this season.
American Lilia Vu is in solo third and less than 300 points from the top with 2,154.718 points. The Epson Tour graduate matches Boutier with three wins this season, capturing her first and second major victories at The Chevron Championship and AIG Women's Open after becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Honda LPGA Thailand. In fourth place is Jin Young Ko, with 1,904.640 points, who has two wins this season at the HSBC Women's World Championship and Cognizant Founders Cup and four additional top-10 results. Rounding out the top five is Hyo Joo Kim with 1,797.183 points, and while the Republic of Korea native is without a win this year, she has earned eight top-10 finishes and four other top-20 results in 15 starts.
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