The Best on the LPGA without a Major: January 2014 Edition

In the next-to-last installment of my 2014 preview series, I'm going to depart from my usual practice in this ranking of the LPGA's best players without a major on tour.  In the past, I've tried to rerank the list for each LPGA major, using overall career performances, recent finishes, and histories at that major to try to predict who has the best odds of winning it.  I'll do that again this season for each major, but what I want to do now is survey who actually has had the best careers on the LPGA among those who have not yet won a major.

I'll be relying strongly on my career rankings spreadsheet and major rankings spreadsheet to do this, but the question is how to combine the ranking systems.  Is it better to have a proven record of winning over the course of your LPGA career but not yet have converted that into a major win or a history of near-misses in majors and in other tournaments?  To me, that's a judgment call, based on individual careers, so what I'll do is simply add together the points players have earned in each system to sort players into rough groups, then adjust rankings within each group based on head-to-head comparisons between the players in each of them.

[Note:  the numbers in parentheses following each player's name represent total LPGA victories/KLPGA-JLPGA-LET victories, points in my major ranking system (rank), points in my career ranking system (rank).]

Simply the Best

1. Ai Miyazato (9/17, 723 [#17], 2218 [#8]).  She's #1 in the Class of 2006, #4 in the Tseng Dynasty, and #5 in LPGA's Club 79 (those with 7 to 9 wins on tour).  Here are her best finishes in LPGA majors:

• Kraft Nabisco Championship:  T15 (2007)
• Wegmans LPGA Championship: T3 (2006 and 2010)
• U.S. Women's Open:  T6 (2009 and 2011)
• Ricoh Women's British Open:  T3 (2009)
• Evian Championship:  T15 (2013) 

Of her 15 JLPGA victories, 2 came in majors, the Japan Women's Open in 2005 and the Konica Minolta Cup in 2006.  She's the clear #1 in this ranking.

2. In-Kyung Kim (3/1, 1047 [#10], 1759 [#10]).  She's #2 in the Class of 2007, #5 in the Tseng Dynasty, and #4 in the LPGA's Club 36 (those with 3 to 6 wins on tour).  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  2nd (2012)
• LPGA:  T5 (2010)
• USWO:  2nd (2013)
• WBO:  T3 (2010)
• Evian:  T19 (2013)

Although she has a better record in majors than many major winners, she's had even more trouble closing the deal in them than in regular tournaments.  I have a feeling that once she finds the next oasis, it'll make finding ones after it that much easier.

The Contenders

3. Lexi Thompson (3/1, 446 [#32], 1842 [#9]).  She's #2 in the Class of 2012 and #2 in LPGA's Club 36.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T21 (2009)
• LPGA:  T28 (2013)
• USWO:  T10 (2010)
• WBO:  T17 (2012)
• Evian:  3rd (2013)

I'm ranking her ahead of the next 2 players in this category, despite her comparatively weaker record in majors, because she's rocketed up the career rankings so fast I can't help but think she's due to set career bests in majors in 2014.

4. Amy Yang (1/4, 731 [#15], 1239 [#17]):  She's #5 in the Class of 2008, #8 in the Tseng Dynasty, and #1 among the LPGA's 1-time winners.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T4 (2012)
• LPGA:  T5 (2013)
• USWO:  2nd (2012)
• WBO:  4th (2011)
• Evian:  T67 (2013)

I'm ranking her ahead of Michelle Wie because the vast majority of her best finishes in majors have come much more recently Wie's and Yang won a KLPGA major in 2011.

5. Michelle Wie (2/0, 728 [#16], 1359 [#14]).  She's #4 in the Class of 2009, #4 in the LPGA's New Blood generation, and #7 among the LPGA's 2-time winners.  Her best finishes in majors mostly date back from before she joined the LPGA:

• KNC:  T3 (2006)
• LPGA:  2nd (2005)
• USWO:  T3 (2006)
• WBO:  T3 (2005)
• Evian:  T37 (2013)

Her performances in majors since joining the LPGA have perhaps been the biggest source of disappointment in her professional career to date.  To have come so close to winning so many times and then approach a decade without coming that close again is shocking to the average sports fan.

6. Hee Kyung Seo (1/11, 546 [#24], 1259 [#16]):  She's #1 in the Class of 2011, #5 among the LPGA's New Blood, and #6 among the LPGA's 1-time winners.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T4 (2012)
• LPGA:  T34 (2011)
• USWO:  2nd (2011)
• WBO:  T5 (2010)
• Evian:  T64 (2013)

In addition to her strong performances in most every LPGA major, she won 3 KLPGA majors in 2009.  So she's definitely got it in her to do even better in 2014.

7. Mika Miyazato (1/2, 488 [#30], 1227 [#18]):  She's #5 in the Class of 2011, #6 among the LPGA's New Blood, and #5 among the LPGA's 1-time winners.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T7 (2011)
• LPGA:  T2 (2012)
• USWO:  5th (2011)
• WBO:  4th (2012)
• Evian:  T19 (2013)

Both her JLPGA victories have come at the most important major on their schedule, the Japan Women's Open, so she's another player I'd say is due to do even better in LPGA majors,

8. Hee Young Park (2/6, 473 [#31], 1127 [#23]).  She's #4 in the Class of 2008, #11 in the Tseng Dynasty, and #3 among the LPGA's 2-time winners.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T7 (2013)
• LPGA:  T14/14th (2011 and 2012)
• USWO:  T9 (2009)
• WBO:  T2 (2013)
• Evian:  T19 (2013)

As much as she improved on her record in LPGA majors in 2013, I expect her to do even better in 2014.

Quantum Leap Candidates

9. Lydia Ko (2/2, 684 [#19], n.a. [n.r.]).  She's the universal favorite for 2014 Rookie of the Year and already done surprisingly well in majors, most notably in the Evian Championship last year.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T25 (2013)
• LPGA:  T17 (2013)
• USWO:  T36 (2013)
• WBO:  T17 (2012)
• Evian:  2nd (2013)

Frankly, I'd be shocked if she didn't improve on her peak performances in 4 of the 5 LPGA majors in 2014.  No pressure, eh?

10. Angela Stanford (5/0, 585 [#22], n.a. [n.r.]).  She's the only LPGA veteran with a strong enough record to make it into this category.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T3 (2010)
• LPGA:  T4 (2004)
• USWO:  T2 (2003)
• WBO:  T13 (2002)
• Evian:  T6 (2013)

You might be tempted to think "what have you done for me lately?" when it comes to Stanford's record in LPGA majors, but you'd be dead wrong.  She has 7-straight top-20 finishes in the KNC, she's finished in the top 35 in the LPGA Championship in 10 of her last 11 starts (with another top 5 in 2009), she got a top 10 in the USWO in 2005 and top 5s in 2 of her last 3 starts, and she's got top 25s in the WBO in 4 of her last 5 starts.  I'm sure if I extended my ranking system back to the Class of 2001 and the LPGA generation that bears her name, she'd be even higher on this list!

11. Azahara Munoz (1/2, 297 [#44], 1181 [#21]).  She's #2 in the Class of 2010, #7 in the New Blood Generation, and #2 among the LPGA's 1-time winners.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T15 (2012)
• LPGA:  T8 (2011)
• USWO:  T19 (2010)
• WBO:  T19 (2010)
• Evian:  T19 (2013)

Even though she's underperformed in majors, she has a strong overall record and is on something of a roll again.  I expect her to set career high-water marks in most all of the 2014 majors.

12. Brittany Lang (1/0, 542 [#25], 937 [#30]).  She's #6 in the Class of 2006, #16 in the Tseng Dynasty, and #8 among the LPGA's 1-time winners.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T6 (2006)
• LPGA:  T18 (2008)
• USWO:  T2 (2005)
• WBO:  2nd (2011)
• Evian:  T57 (2013)

The KNC is definitely her most consistent major, as she finished in the top 21 between 2006 and 2010, but even there she's been inconsistent of late.  Still, she can contend out of nowhere, as she did as an amateur at the USWO in 2005 and as a pro in 2010 and 2013, as well as at the 2011 WBO.

13. Seon Hwa Lee (4/3, 245 [#52], 1224 [#20]).  Even with her pronounced slump of recent years, her career stats actually remain quite strong.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  5th (2008)
• LPGA:  T10 (2008)
• USWO:  T25 (2007)
• WBO:  T14 (2008)
• Evian:  DNP (2013)

You can tell how bad her slump has been by the fact that she hasn't made a cut in a major since the KNC in 2012 and has missed it in 8 of 11 starts in majors dating back to 2010.  Even worse, she failed to even qualify for 4 of the last 6 majors.  Imagine how much higher she'd be ranked if she hadn't fallen off the career cliff and instead been simply mediocre the last few seasons!

14. Beatriz Recari (3/1, 177 [#60], 1164 [#22]):  She's #1 in the Class of 2010, #8 in the New Blood Generation, and #3 in Club 36.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T25 (2013)
• LPGA:  T19 (2013)
• USWO:  T27 (2011)
• WBO:  T26 (2012)
• Evian:  T9 (2013)

You can tell how well she's been playing in the last few years by how recent her career bests in majors have been, but she's still underperforming in majors compared to her achievements in regular tournaments.  Let's see if her 1st career top 10 in her latest start in LPGA major is a harbinger of better things to come in 2014.

15. Jee Young Lee (1/1, 421 [#34], 1008 [#27]).  She's #5 in the Class of 2006, #15 in the Tseng Dynasty, and #11 among the LPGA's 1-time winners.  And that's despite a slump that's been only a little shorter and shallower than her fellow Lee in the '06ers.  Her best finishes:

• KNC:  T13 (2007)
• LPGA:  T10 (2007)
• USWO:  7th (2007)
• WBO:  T2 (2007)
• Evian:  WD (2013)

She's failed to finish 7 of the last 9 majors she started and missed out on qualifying for 4 others during that stretch, which dates back to 2011.  Even though she's started to pull out of her slump in regular tournaments, she hasn't cracked the top 30 in an LPGA major since the 2010 USWO.  Let's see if she can turn things around in 2014.

The Best of the Rest

16. Caroline Hedwall (0/5, 329 [#41], 997 [#28]).
17. Lizette Salas (0/0, 360 [#38], 969 [#29).
18. Jessica Korda (1/0, 195 [#57], 862 [#31]).
19. Chella Choi (0/0, 366 [#37], 783 [#33]).
20. Sandra Gal (1/0, 295 [#46], 730 [#37]).
21. Julieta Granada (1/0, 280 [#47], 754 [#36]).
22. Kristy McPherson (0/0, 427 [#33], 604 [#44]).
23. Meena Lee (2/4, 174 [#61], 851 [#32]).
24. Jodi Ewart Shadoff (0/0, 303 [#43], 663 [#41]).  
25. Ilhee Lee (1/0, 240 [#53], 726 [#38]).
26. Jennifer Johnson (1/0, 247 [#52], 688 [#40]).
27. Caroline Masson (0/1, 334 [#40], 582 [#47]).
28. Carlota Ciganda (0/3, 121 [#66], 768 [#34]).
29. Gerina Piller (0/0, 184 [#59], 692 [#39]).
30. Ayako Uehara (0/3, 280 [#49], 522 [#50]).
31. Jenny Shin (0/0, 151 [#63], 638 [#42]).
32. Haeji Kang (0/0, 218 [#54], 548 [#49]).
33. Chie Arimura (0/13, 253 [#50], 502 [#52]).
34. Pornanong Phatlum (0/2, 110 [#67], 604 [#44]).
35. Vicky Hurst (0/0, 147 [#65], 506 [#51]).
36. Katie Futcher (0/0, 262 [#49], 382 [#59]).
37. Jane Park (0/0, 167 [#72], 475 [#54]).
38. Moriya Jutanugarn (0/0, 143 [#65], 489 [#53]).
39. Natalie Gulbis (1/1, 502 [#28], n.a. [n.r.]).
40. Candie Kung (4/0, 496 [#29], n.a. [n.r.]).

So that's my top 40.  Who would you add to this list, and where?  How would you suggest reordering it?  What do you think of my way of combining my 2 ranking systems?