Inbee Park reacts on the 18th green after winning the 2013 Women's U.S. Open at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. Park wins with a score of 8-under-par and collects her third consecutive LPGA major championship of the year. UPI/John Angelillo |
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., July 1 (UPI) -- Inbee Park gained a third major tournament title in an amazing year, pushing her lead in the women's world golf rankings nearly 5 points.
Park, 24, was 8-under-par 280 in winning the U.S. Women's Open in New York Sunday. That adds to her major wins at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the LPGA Championship this year. Park joins Babe Zaharias as the only other woman to have won the first three majors in a year (Bobby Jones is the only male player to accomplish the feat).
Due to adjustments by women's golf officials, there are five tournaments considered majors this year. That means Park needs the Women's British Open in August and the Evian Championship, which Park won last year before the tournament was given "major" status, in September to complete the women's golf grand slam.
Sunday's win was the ninth LPGA title and sixth win overall this year for Park. That hot streak lifted her to No. 1 in the rankings. She has a 4.98-point lead over No. 2-ranked Stacy Lewis.
I.M. Kim was second to Park at the U.S. Women's Open and jumps five places to 10th in the rankings. Karrie Webb passes former longtime No. 1 Yani Tseng, who was among three Top 10 players last week to miss the cut, for seventh in the rankings.
The women's world golf Top 10, with the player's home country and ranking points average:
1. Inbee Park, South Korea, 13.27
2. Stacy Lewis, United States, 8.29
3. Suzann Pettersen, Norway, 7.92
4. Choi Na-Yeon, South Korea, 7.58
5. Ryu So-yeon, South Korea, 7.55
6. Feng Shanshan Feng, China, 6.33
7. Karrie Webb, Australia, 6.16
8. Yani Tseng, Taiwan, 5.88
9. Jiyai Shin, South Korea, 5.79
10. I.K. Kim, South Korea, 5.77
