Ariya Jutanugarn threatens Lydia Ko’s stranglehold on LPGA Player of the Year

Lydia Ko, it seemed after her fourth victory of the season at last month’s Marathon Classic, had the LPGA Tour Player of the Year title sewn up. Then Ariya Jutanugarn, Ko’s elder by almost a year and a half, went from zero wins in May of this year to five when she captured the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday.

The 20-year-old from Thailand did so after withdrawing from the second round of the Olympics little more than a week ago with a sore knee (shades of Henrik Stenson pulling out of the U.S. Open in June with minor knee and neck injuries and grabbing the British Open title a month later).

Jutanugarn’s four-shot W over Sei Young Kim put her on the fast track to player of the year honors over Ko (T7 in Alberta). The world No. 1, of course, has plenty of time to regain the momentum, with 10 events, including a title defense at the fifth and final major of the year, the Evian Championship, still to play.

But Ko — with 241 PoY points to Jutanugarn’s 236 — will have to put the pedal to the medal if she is to halt her rival’s speedy race to the end of the 2016 campaign. During an incredible 10-start run, Jutanugarn has won five times — a period during which she went on a three-event winning streak and prevailed at the Women’s British Open for her first major title.

And you know what they say about the injured golfer.

“After I withdraw [from the Olympics in Rio], I feel like I’m going to withdraw this week because my knee hurt so bad last week,” Jutanugarn said after posting 68-64-67-66 to parlay her 36- and 54-hole leads into the win. “But when I got here on Monday and Tuesday, it’s getting a lot better, and first round of the tournament it’s fine.”

The player of the year award is not all that is up for grabs; Ko is likely hearing footsteps from her closest challenger to her top ranking. Jutanugarn leapfrogged Brooke Henderson for the No. 2 slot at the end of July, along the way also leaving Olympic golf medal winner Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson and Kim in her dust.

The women remain north of the border this week, in Ontario. So, fingers crossed for a Ko-Jutanugarn final pairing this week at the Manulife LPGA Classic.