The world's professional women's golf rankings have another record.

The 2023 Rolex Rankings recorded five golfers at the top, the most since its inaugural year in 2006, with Ruoning Yin being the newest face.

Before Yin (China), the names that have held the top spot in the Rolex Rankings since the beginning of the year include Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Nelly Korda (USA), Ko Jin Young (Korea), Lilia Vu (Vietnamese-American). Previously, this table had only had four world number ones in the same year twice, in 2017 and 2022.

Yin, 20, became the "world's number one professional female golfer" on September 11, after finishing third at the Kroger Queen City Championship on the LPGA Tour last weekend. It was the 20-year-old's third consecutive top-three finish in the top-tier women's golf tournament in the US. With this result, she pushed Vu to second place in the Rolex Rankings.

Yin lifts the Women's PGA Championship trophy on June 25. Photo: AP

Yin's ascent to the top of the Rolex Rankings took nine months, rising more than 150 places through 16 tournaments with seven top-four finishes, including two championships – the Los Angeles Open in late March and the major Women's PGA Championship in June.

Vu has held the top spot since August 14, right after winning the Women's Open major, and maintained it until September 10. Besides this prestigious cup, she also won the Chevron Championship major in April and the Honda LPGA Thailand, a regular event on the LPGA Tour, in February.

Before Vu, the highest position in the Rolex Rankings belonged to Korda, from July 31 to August 13, the second time since the beginning of the year. At that time, Korda replaced Ko Jin Young, thereby ending the time the Korean golfer held the top position, from May 22 to July 30. When giving up the throne to Korda, Ko Jin Young also set a record for the total time holding the title of "world number one" with 163 weeks.

Previously, Korda held this position from April 24 to May 21.

Of the five golfers who have led the Rolex Rankings this year, Lydia Ko has held the longest, from November 28, 2022, to April 23, 2023. This week, Lydia Ko is ninth, having not finished in the top 10 on the LPGA Tour in the past seven months. The current top five, in order from the top, are Yin, Vu, Korda, Ko Jin Young, and French golfer Celine Boutier.

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