It felt almost impossible for Lydia Ko to close the gap with the formidable World No. 1, Nelly Korda at the beginning of 2024. Soon a shift came, bringing Ko into the spotlight. Korda started her season with five consecutive wins, and Ko started with a win at the Hilton Grand Vacations TOC. Soon, one victory turned into more, including a major, and a gold in Paris. Needless to say, the 27-year-old pro reminded us why she’s one of the 35 women in the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. Well, her dominance in the golf world was palpable until the season took a surprising turn in favor of Hae-ran Ryu.

With a stellar third-place finish at the Maybank Championship, Ryu elevated herself right above Ko, landing solidly at No. 2 in the Race to CME Globe rankings. When the LPGA Tour recently dropped its rankings on Instagram, there was Ryu just below Korda, while Ko slid down to No. 3. This may come as a surprise to a few, especially considering Ko’s impressive resume this year. Ko is now 36.634 points short of the Korean golfer. Despite her relentless efforts, Ko’s path was blocked by an unexpected contender who shook up the standings.

Ryu’s first victory as the LPGA Tour player came back in October 2023, when she won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, followed by the 2024 FM Championship, and of course, her recent performance at the Maybank Championship was nothing short of remarkable. Overall, she has had 12 top-10 finishes this year. And now, the 23-year-old is gearing up to compete in the TOTO Japan Classic, scheduled from October 30 to November 3, 2024.

Since both Ko and Korda won’t be participating in the tournament, Ryu’s chances to climb the rankings look promising. As for Ko, missing out on tournaments has indeed cost her a lot, as now all her achievements this season might still not be enough as this new LPGA ‘wild card’ in Ryu shakes up the rankings. The New Zealand-based golfer last teed off in the BMW Ladies Championship where she finished at T12.

While Ryu surpassed Ko in the race for the CME Globe ranking, will she be able to beat Korda in this race, especially with Korda also in the running for Player of the Year? She could if Korda does not tee off soon. 

Can Nelly Korda hold steady against stiff competition?

Hailed as the World No. 1 for all the right reasons, Nelly Korda stands atop with an impressive track record of wins. Her formidable presence on the course is tough to challenge, but it’s hard to ignore that it’s been a while since she last graced the greens. If Ryu ends up clinching good finishes in the tournaments to come, she might overcome Korda. The LPGA Cover Girl currently has 3700 CME points whereas Ryu has 2,599.392. The difference of roughly 1100 points is not an easy deal to get ahold of, but hey, golf is unpredictable. 

Korda’s last appearance was in September at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Since then, she has missed a few tournaments, and her chances of participating in upcoming matches look slim, especially after suffering a neck injury. Following the TOTO Championship, she has two more tournaments lined up: the Lotte Championship and The Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, leading up to the final CME Group Tour Championship.

Despite her six wins this season and impressive scores, Korda must make a strong comeback in the remaining tournaments to maintain her spot and clinch her first Player of the Year trophy. Will she be able to hold firm or will another potential LPGA player outshine her? What do you think? Let us know in the comments!