Ariya becomes World No.1 without lifting a club
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Ariya becomes World No.1 without lifting a club

Ariya Jutanugarn, seen here at the Honda LPGA Thailand 2017, has become the top woman's golfer in the women's rankings based on her overall performance. She supplanted Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who was No.1 for 84 weeks but has fallen into a slump this year. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Ariya Jutanugarn, seen here at the Honda LPGA Thailand 2017, has become the top woman's golfer in the women's rankings based on her overall performance. She supplanted Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who was No.1 for 84 weeks but has fallen into a slump this year. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Ariya Jutanugarn has become the No.1 women's golfer in the world without even having to pick up a club this weekend.

Ariya won elevation to No.1 Saturday (early Sunday Thailand time) when the only other woman who could beat her, Korean Ryu So-Yeon missed the cut Saturday at the LPGA ShopRite Classic to cement the shift.

Ryu, ranked third in the world, could have leapfrogged Ariya by finishing third or better in the tournament at Galloway, New Jersey, near New York.

But she failed even to qualify. She fired back-to-back rounds of three-over 74 to miss the second-round cut in the 54-hole tournament, where South Korea's Kim In-Kyung and American Paula Creamer shared the 36-hole lead.

Ko spent 84 weeks at the top, and has been ranked No.1 for 103 weeks overall, a record.

Ko has fallen into a slump this year, winning no tournaments and rarely finishing in the top 10.

Ariya becomes the first Thai and 10th player to reach Number One since the women's rankings were introduced in 2006.

Swede Annika Sorenstam was the first player to have the honour and was subsequently followed by Lorena Ochoa, Shin Ji-yai, Ai Miyazato, Cristie Kerr, Yani Tseng, Stacy Lewis, Park In-bee and Ko.

Mexican Ochoa holds the record for the longest stint as world number one at 158 weeks.

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