Ko back to fourth in women's golf rankings

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- With two tournaments left on the 2013 LPGA schedule, the race for No. 1 and the professional debut of Lydia Ko take center stage.

The LPGA wraps its season with this week's Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the No. 21-24 CME Group Titleholders event in Naples, Fla.

Inbee Park is No. 1 in the rankings but Suzann Pettersen is a fast-closing second. Pettersen has three wins and two ties for third in her last five tournaments and was among the Top 10 finishers in the three events before that.

That momentum could give her an edge as she tries to wipe out the 0.63-point gap with Park in the rankings.

Ko, 16, petitioned the LPGA for early entry into the association. It was granted and she plans to enter the CME Group Titleholders as a pro. She's won four professional events, including two on the LPGA Tour, as an amateur.

She improves to fourth in this week's rankings, moving ahead of Ryu So-yeon, in the only change in the women's world golf Top 10.

Teresa Lu, a former LPGA Tour participant and now a regular on the Japan LPGA Tour, won the Mizuno Classic in Japan. It was the first tournament win for Lu, who's been a professional for eight years. She goes to 56th in the rankings, moving up nine places this week.

The world women's golf rankings listing player's name, home country and rankings points average:

1. Inbee Park, South Korea, 11.98

2. Suzann Pettersen, Norway , 11.35

3. Stacy Lewis, United States, 9.76

4. Lydia Ko, New Zealand, 6.93

5. Ryu So-yeon, South Korea, 6.88

6. Choi Na-yeon, South Korea, 6.61

7. Feng Shanshan, China, 6.20

8. Karrie Webb, Australia, 5.73

9. I.K. Kim. South Korea, 5.26

10. Catriona Matthew, Scotland, 5.07