2009 Performance (So Far...)

Only two events have been played since I updated my Top 70 rankings, so it's a little soon to be ranking them again (although Anna Nordqvist is now knocking on the Top 30 door).  Maybe after Wegmans...

In the meantime, here is how the Top 40 would rank based purely on 2009 statistics.  Rookies are in bold.

Even though Ochoa is listed at the top as usual, the distance between her and Kerr is only four points in my advanced ranking system.  In fact, the top five are all pretty close together - Stanford, Tseng and Kim are only three points apart.  Players #6 through #13 aren't separated by much either.  If you thought there has been great parity amongst the top players so far this season, you were right.

There are five rookies in the top 32 and none of them are Stacy Lewis or Shiho Oyama.  Put me on record as predicting that the 2009 rookie class is going to surpass the class of 2006 as the greatest in LPGA history.

Other surprises - Allison Hanna-Williams and Amy Yang are in the Top 40, Mi Hyun Kim, Jane Park and Christina Kim are not.  Ai Miyazato is knocking on the Top 10 door and Seon Hwa Lee has fallen out of the Top 20.  If you're wondering why major champion Brittany Lincicome doesn't rank as high as major champion Anna Nordqvist, Brittany has four more missed cuts and a significantly higher scoring average than Anna does.