Making Moves: Ayaka Furue on the Rise After Win in France

Ayaka Furue’s remarkable performance at The Amundi Evian Championship, which culminated in a final-round 65, has catapulted her up the rankings. She has surged 13 spots to No. 8 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, a feat that has seen the Japan native crack the top 10 for the first time in her career and achieve the highest ranking of her three-year LPGA Tour career.

The 24-year-old has not only now claimed the top spot in the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award standings, but she has also made a significant move into second place in the Race to the CME Globe with 2,081.702 points. Her win in France has made her the first Japanese winner of The Amundi Evian Championship since the event’s major elevation.

Furue’s 2024 statistics are equally impressive, as she leads the Tour in scoring average (69.89), birdies (247), rounds under par (44), rounds in the 60s (28), and top-10 finishes (9).

Peiyun Chien made the second most impactful move in the Rolex Rankings, jumping up 13 spots to No. 78 in the world after her tie for seventh at Evian Resort Golf Club, which was her second top-10 result this season.

With the 2024 Olympics on the horizon, the anticipation and pressure are palpable as every player is striving to perform at their best in hopes of securing a gold medal for their country in Paris. Chien, representing Chinese Taipei, is no exception. As the teams prepare to tackle Le Golf National, her game is showing promising signs, adding to the excitement of her Olympic debut.

Chien’s move in the Rolex Rankings may have been impressive, but her move in the Race to the CME Globe standings was more significant as the 33-year-old jumped from No. 68 to No. 52 and is currently qualified for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. The LPGA Tour veteran has made 11 cuts in 15 starts this season, earning one other top-10 performance in addition to her top 10 in France – a tie for fourth at the Cognizant Founders Cup in May.

Despite her already impressive career, Chien’s recent success could be a sign of even greater things to come. With 12 career top-10 finishes and $1,947,379 in career earnings, she has already established herself with her consistency on the LPGA Tour. But her recent success, marked by her jump in the Rolex Rankings and the Race to the CME Globe standings, could be a breakthrough moment that potentially leads her to the LPGA Tour winner’s circle in the near future.

Ally Ewing, Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu have secured their spots on the 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup team, and the final few guaranteed spots on this year’s team are still up for grabs.

Lauren Coughlin moved into the top seven of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team rankings for the first time following her fourth-place finish at The Amundi Evian Championship, now sitting in sixth with Andrea Lee holding the seventh spot on the team after finishing 62nd in France.

Rose Zhang (No. 9), Alison Lee (No. 24), Angel Yin (No. 32) and Lexi Thompson (No. 33) are each vying for one of the two guaranteed spots that go to the top two players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings who are not already eligible.

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.

Charley Hull and Linn Grant lead the Solheim Cup standings for Team Europe, but Esther Henseleit has closed the gap and now only trails Grant by 4.73 points for one of the automatic spots on the team. The German’s tie for seventh showing in France has her at No. 54 in Rolex Rankings and just outside one of six players eligible to qualify via the world rankings.

As of today, the six Rolex Rankings qualifiers for the European Team are Celine Boutier (No. 6), Maja Stark (No. 23), Leona Maguire (No. 29), Carlota Ciganda (No. 31), Madelene Sagstrom (No. 35) and Georgia Hall (No. 39). The next two players are Henseleit (No. 54) and Anna Nordqvist (No. 66).

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.

Gabriela Ruffels continues to build momentum as an LPGA Tour rookie, and her latest made cut moves her closer to breaking into the top 40 in the Rolex Rankings for the first time in her career. At the start of her inaugural season, the 24-year-old was 151st in the world, but with 11 cuts made in her 15 starts this season and after earning five top-15 finishes, Ruffels is now up to No. 42 in the Rolex Rankings.

The Australian is also currently leading the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race with a narrow 22-point lead over Mao Saigo. While Ruffels still has ground to cover to break into the top 40 in the world, her game is consistently improving, pointing towards a promising future. This is a positive sign as the LPGA Tour enters the second half of the 2024 season, and it should be exciting to see what Ruffels will achieve next.

With seven events remaining, Daniela Iacobelli is trending and had the Move of the Week on the Epson Tour. With her Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship victory, Iacobelli climbed 24 spots in the Race for the Card standings, moving from 26th to 2nd with 957.675 points. This put her just 76 points behind the current leader, Fiona Xu, who has 1,033.533 points.

The 36-year-old clinched her fifth Epson Tour win on Sunday at Great River Golf Club, defeating Amelia Lewis by one stroke to secure her first victory this season in Milford, Conn. The title helped her ultimately crack the top 15 in the Race for the Card standings, and Iacobelli is now well on her way to securing one of the 15 LPGA Tour cards available for the 2025 season.

Epson Tour sophomore Cassie Porter is in third with 951.598 points but closed the gap after a T19 finish in Milford, Conn., now only 82 points behind Xu. Kim Kaufman is in fourth place with 883.500 points, while Yahui Zhang rounds out the top five with 860.316 points and has six top-10 results in her rookie season.

Some other significant moves following the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship are as follows: 

Amelia Lewis, who earned a runner-up finish at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship, which was her third top 10 of the season, went from 35th to 12th with 671.167 total points

Amanda Doherty jumped into the standings after her solo third showing at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship and now sitting in 15th with 659.727 total points

The Race for the Card is a season-long points competition in which Epson Tour members accumulate points in every official Epson Tour tournament. The ultimate goal is to finish in the top 15 in the point standings to earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2025 season. The point-based system, new on the Epson Tour this season, replaces the money-based system and will award points to those who make the cut weekly.

The 2024 season will also be the first year that Epson Tour athletes will vie for 15 LPGA Tour cards. They will be awarded after the season-ending Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells, Calif., this fall.