Hira Naveed introduced herself to the golf world at large last weekend at the Ford Championship presented by KCC and had the Move of the Week after contending in her second start of the 2024 season and her fourth-ever LPGA Tour tournament.
After making the cut on the number for the first time in her Tour career, Naveed played lights out in her final 36 holes, shooting 65-66 to finish solo second at the Ford Championship in Arizona. The 2024 LPGA Tour rookie vaulted from No. 648 in the Rolex Women’s World Gold Rankings to No. 106, the highest ranking of her career.
She spent the past four seasons competing on the Epson Tour before becoming an LPGA Tour member this year, earning $102,362 in career money and recording eight top-10 finishes since joining the organization. Her solid play in 2023 on the Epson Tour earned the 26-year-old an opportunity to compete in LPGA Q-Series and, after a T15 finish, a spot on the LPGA Tour in 2024.
While Naveed’s move in the Rolex Rankings was nothing short of amazing, her move in the Race to the CME Globe standings was just as significant, as she jumped from unranked to No. 18 and currently holds a spot in the field at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
The Australian not only moved to fourth in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings, but she now also ranks 13th on the Official Money List with $206,791 earned so far this season. Naveed’s success last week could be a breakthrough moment that ultimately propels her up even further in various rankings and races and could be one that sees her eventually enter the winner’s circle on the LPGA Tour.
Lexi Thompson Continues to Climb in Rolex Rankings
Lexi Thompson came up just short in Gilbert, Ariz., missing out on her first LPGA Tour win since the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer after finishing three shots behind 11-time Tour winner Nelly Korda in a tie for third with Mi Hyang Lee, Frida Kinhult, Maja Stark and Carlota Ciganda. But she did jump up 10 spots in the Rolex Rankings from No. 42 to No. 32.
Thompson has competed on the LPGA Tour since 2012 and has 11 wins, one major title, 88 career top-10 finishes and over $14 million in career earnings, so don’t count the LPGA Tour veteran out when you pick winners this season. Her game is trending in the right direction, and it feels like it will only be a matter of time before we see her in the winner’s circle for that 12th Tour title.
“It feels great. I’ve been working on my game super hard, and results haven’t really shown, so I’m going to continue to work hard because there is a lot more improvement still to be improved on,” said Thompson. “But a lot of positives to take from this week, especially going into a major. But I have two weeks, and I know what I need to work on.”
Gabriela Ruffels is Trending
Gabriela Ruffels holds the lead in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award point standings, sitting 51 points ahead of Mao Saigo after her T13 showing at the Ford Championship presented by KCC. While the Australia native has yet to find victory lane so far this season, in addition to her T13 result in Gilbert, Ariz., Ruffels has also earned two other top-15 finishes in 2024, a T3 at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship and T15 at the Blue Bay LPGA.
Ruffels has moved up 73 spots in the Rolex Rankings to No. 81 in the world, the highest she has ever been in her young career. The Epson Tour graduate is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having recorded victories on the Epson Tour in 2023 at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic, Garden City Charity Classic and Four Winds Invitational. The LPGA Tour rookie finished first in the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card last year to earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2024 season earned Epson Tour Player of the Year honors, so it is no surprise she has continued to shine on the LPGA Tour.
U.S. Solheim Cup Standings Update
Players have shuffled in and out of the top seven positions in the Solheim Cup standings, and the final few guaranteed spots on this year’s team are still up for grabs. With Nelly Korda’s victory at the Ford Championship presented by KCC, she moved to No. 1 in the U.S. Solheim Cup Team points standings, while Alison Lee jumped from ninth to sixth in the points standings after finishing tied for eighth in Arizona.
Sarah Schmelzel moved into eighth in the standings after notching her fourth consecutive top-eight finish at Seville Golf and Country Club and is only 22 points behind Ally Ewing, who currently sits in the seventh spot.
Meanwhile, a stellar performance by six-time Solheim Cupper Lexi Thompson has her in the spotlight as she vies for one of the two guaranteed spots that go to the top two players in the Rolex Rankings who are not already eligible. Thompson’s T3 result in Arizona moved her up ten positions in the world rankings to No. 32, while a rare missed cut from Rose Zhang dropped her one spot to No. 23 in the rankings, but both are in a good position to compete for the Americans this September.
The U.S. Team will comprise the top seven players in the U.S. Solheim Cup standings, the top two in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings not already eligible, and three captain’s picks. The team will be finalized on Aug. 25, 2024, following the AIG Women’s Open.
Europe Solheim Cup Standings Update
Charley Hull and Alexandra Forsterling continue to lead the Solheim Cup standings for Team Europe, but Carlota Ciganda has closed the gap and now only trails by just over six points for one of the automatic spots on the team. The Spaniard moved up a spot in the Rolex Rankings to world No. 29 after her T3 performance at the Ford Championship last week and is currently one of six players eligible to qualify via the Rolex Rankings.
As of today, the six Rolex Rankings qualifiers for the European Team are Celine Boutier (No. 3), Linn Grant (No. 25), Georgia Hall (No. 28), Carlota Ciganda (No. 29), Leona Maguire (No. 30) and Maja Stark (No. 46).
The European Team will comprise the top two players in the Europe Solheim Cup standings, the top six players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings not already eligible, and four captain’s picks. Like the U.S. Team, the European team will be finalized on Aug. 25, 2024, after the conclusion of the AIG Women’s Open.
BY: Nadeem Faisal Baiga
