Lydia Ko reclaims top ranking while Tiger Woods remains No. 1 outside the ropes

Lydia Ko surprised few when she regained her spot atop the world golf rankings with a runaway win in Taiwan on Sunday. More stunning to those in golf circles was last week’s report that formerly top-ranked Tiger Woods, despite his precipitous plummet to No. 351 on the men’s side, remains No. 1 when it comes to an athlete’s value.

In cruising to a nine-shot victory at the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship, Ko smashed yet another record on her way to supplanting Inbee Park for the Rolex Rankings honors. The fifth LPGA win of the 2015 season for the 18-year-old made her the youngest golfer of either gender to achieve 10 tour victories overall.

“I actually met her in Cleveland for an outing a couple months ago. She’s such an amazing person and an amazing golfer,” Ko, who fired a final-round 7-under 65, told reporters about Nancy Lopez, whose mark she shattered by almost 3.5 years. “To have beaten her record, it’s an honor.”

On the men’s side, Horton Smith, at 21 years, seven months, was the youngest to win 10 events.

Woods, meanwhile, may be off the back nine and heading to the clubhouse, but the 14-time major winner still leads the field in the financial worth of his name.

Ahead of fellow aging superstar Phil Mickelson by $2 million in the Forbes Fab 40 roster of most valuable sports brands, Woods earned more in product endorsements ($30 million) than athletes still in the prime of their careers. LeBron James, for example, placed third, at $27 million, while Rory McIlroy came in ninth, at $12 million.

The annual Forbes list rates athletes, teams, businesses and events according to the monetary weight of their names. Forbes bases the value of each athlete by how much that person’s commercial income outstrips that of the top 10 moneymakers in the same sport.

Given the status of his health and game, Woods likely topped the list for the last time. His value declined $6 million below what it was in 2014, and after two lost seasons and the possibility of missing all of 2016 while rehabbing from back surgery, Tiger will be hard-pressed to gain additional sponsor revenue.

Should his back woes force him to hang up his spikes, by the way, Woods may enjoy a post-retirement career as a film critic.

A boost in endorsement receipts for young golfers like Jordan Spieth and McIlroy contributed to the downturn in Woods’ value, while Mickelson edged closer to his on-course rival’s financial worth. Lefty, who enjoyed a successful Presidents Cup stint after his own regular-season struggles, was $7 million behind Woods on the Forbes list in 2014.