Welcome to the first edition of the Just Women’s Sports LPGA power rankings. Every month this season, we’ll weigh factors such as wins, top-10 finishes and all-around performances while compiling the list of the top golfers on tour.

This will not be an exact replica of the Rolex World Rankings, though there will likely be some correlation. For example, you’ll notice that World No. 2 Nelly Korda does not appear on the list, as she’s out indefinitely with a blood clot.

As the LPGA gets set to tee off its first major of the year at the Chevron Championship, we run down the top 10 golfers playing right now.

1. Jin Young Ko

Six wins in her last eleven starts. Next.

In all seriousness, since Ko skipped the AIG Women’s Open last August to put in more work with her coach, Si Woo Lee, she has added even more records to her already historic ledger. Ko hit 63 consecutive greens in regulation to close out the 2021 CME Group Tour Championship, winning her second Rolex Player of the Year award. The streak ended at 66 during the first round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship.

The World No. 1 has recorded an immaculate 16 straight rounds in the 60s, a feat never seen before on the LPGA Tour. She’s also posted 34 consecutive rounds under par and nine consecutive top 10 finishes. Her per-round scoring average this season is 68.2.

Ko makes her third start of the year at the Chevron Championship while playing her best golf. Her last two finishes at the Dinah Shore Course were a victory in 2019 and a T7 finish in 2021. Should Ko secure her third major title, she’ll be in the driver’s seat to catch 27-time winner Lorena Ochoa for the most weeks atop the Rolex Rankings. Ko, at 122, currently sits 32 weeks behind Ochoa at 154.

Starts: 2
Wins: 1
Top 10s: 2
Best Finish: Win at HSBC Women’s Championship

2. Danielle Kang

If not for Ko’s laundry list of accomplishments, Kang would be worthy of the top spot. Since overhauling her team this offseason — bringing in a new physio, nutritionist and trainer — she has been tearing it up.

The American finished first and second in the two opening events of the season. Overseas, Kang posted back-to-back top 10s before a T42 finish in Carlsbad, Calif.

“I don’t know if this would be a good thing to say, but I’m using this week as practice a little bit for next week,” Kang said after the opening round of the JTBC Classic, the tournament directly ahead of the Chevron Championship. “There are still some parts of my game that I want to tune up, and I want to go in next week really confident.”

That’s some earned confidence displayed from the six-time tour winner, who’s finished in the top 15 in her last three starts at the Chevron Championship.

Starts: 5
Wins: 1
Top 10s: 4
Best Finish: Win at Hilton Resorts Tournament of Champions

3. Lydia Ko

The 2021 Vare Trophy winner (awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average in a season) is back to playing consistent golf six years removed from her time atop the rankings in 2015 and ‘16. Since last October, Ko has finished in the top 10 in five of her previous seven starts, with a T12 result last week narrowly missing the mark.

That streak culminated with her 17th-career LPGA victory at the Gainbridge LPGA, the second tournament of the tournament at Boca Rio.

Next month, Ko will look to defend her Lotte Championship title from 2021, when she finished 28-under par for her first victory in three seasons.

Starts: 4
Wins: 1
Top 10s: 2
Best Finish: Win at Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio

4. Atthaya Thitikul

Say hello to the newest LPGA star. It won’t be surprising to see her continue to ascend the JWS power rankings, just like she has in the Rolex World Rankings. In 20th place to start the season, Thitikul vaulted into fifth after shooting a final-round 64 and winning the JTBC Classic in a playoff. She’s the clear frontrunner for Rolex Rookie of the Year, currently sitting with 329 points and holding a 215-point advantage over Hye-Jin Choi in second place.

Thitikul has even contended in LPGA majors, finishing in fifth place at the Evian Championship last July. One of the only blips on her resume is a T11 finish at the LPGA Drive On Championship in her second start of the season, causing her to narrowly miss the bar for an 80 percent top-10 rate.

Starts: 5
Wins: 1
Top 10s: 3
Best Finish: Win at JTBC Classic

5. Brooke Henderson

The winningest Canadian in golf history finished as the runner-up at the Hilton Tournament of Champions to start the season and hasn’t slowed down since. She’d be five-for-five in top 10s if not for a T11 finish – like Thitikul – at the LPGA Drive On Championship.

“To come out this year so strong, I’m definitely happy and proud of that,” Henderson said after the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand. “I feel like I’m inching my way closer every week to getting a little bit more comfortable and just enjoying those final groups as much as I have been.”

Henderson tends to win in bunches, having won two tournaments a season from 2016-19. She appears to be on the precipice of one of those runs with her consistent play of late. In late April, she’ll defend her title at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles at the DIO Implant L.A. Open.

Starts: 5
Wins: 0
Top 10s: 4
Best Finish: 2nd at Hilton Resorts Tournament of Champions

6. Nanna Koerstz Madsen

It’s incredible how just one stroke can swing your fate in golf. On the 72nd hole at the JTBC Classic, Koerstz Madsen stared down a 5-footer for the win. After becoming the first Danish woman ever to win on the LPGA Tour in Thailand, the 27-year-old nearly went back-to-back and earned the No. 2 spot in these rankings.

Instead, she missed the putt and lost to Thitikul in a playoff. It was her second top-two finish this year and a dramatic reversal from missing the cut in her first start of the season.

Starts: 4
Wins: 1
Top 10s: 2
Best Finish: Win at Honda LPGA Thailand

7. Leona Maguire

Leona Maguire checked off what felt like an inevitable box for the former No. 1 amateur in the world at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club in early February. The day before her mom’s birthday, Maguire shot 18-under par at the Drive On Championship for her first victory and the first by an Irishwoman on the LPGA Tour.

“The support from home has been incredible,” Maguire said. “They’ve been rallying behind me, and that’s something that I’m truly grateful for. It’s always an honor to represent Ireland, no matter where you go.”

Maguire stayed steady in southeast Asia, with a T13 finish in Singapore and a T12 in Thailand.

Starts: 4
Wins: 1
Top 10s: 1
Best Finish: Win at LPGA Drive On Championship Crown Colony

8. Celine Boutier

The Frenchwoman has been on a tear since last June, when she shot a tournemant-record 64 at the Mediheal Championship. She’s finished in the top 10 in nine of her 19 starts since then, and she has three top-five finishes this season. And in 15 rounds on tour this year, the two-time winner has yet to shoot over par.

“I feel pretty good about my weekends, to be honest,” Boutier explained at the Drive On Championship. “It was something I was struggling a bit with last year. I feel like I had a lot of tournaments where I played well the first two days, and then it’s not always easy to be either in the lead or in contention, especially the last two rounds … And I feel like the past two weeks have kind of proved that I got better at that. I feel like I handled it better.”

After passing on the JTBC Classic, she returns at the Chevron Championship, where she finished T50 last year.

Starts: 5
Wins: 0
Top 10s: 3
Best Finish: 3rd at Honda LPGA Thailand

9. Hannah Green

The 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner did something no other woman in golf ever has before rejoining the LPGA in Singapore this year: Green won a mixed-gender event on the PGA Tour Australasia’s TPC Murray River. Before that, she’d won the Women’s Vic Open, a former LPGA event.

“I want to be in the top 10 in the world,” Green said after her TPC Murray River victory. “I think I can achieve it. If I keep playing the golf that I am now, hopefully I can get there.”

The Australian kept the momentum going in her opening tour start in Singapore, with a T6 finish.

Starts: 3
Wins: 0
Top 10s: 1
Best Finish: T-6 HSBC Women’s Championship

10. Lexi Thompson

The Florida resident opened the LPGA calendar with two starts in her home state, finishing T6 at the Gainbridge LPGA Boca Rio and second at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Crow Colony. Thompson, who recorded victories in seven consecutive seasons from 2013-19, is looking to return to the winner’s circle. The last time she hoisted a trophy, she dropped a cross-green bomb for eagle for her 11th career victory at the 2019 Shoprite LPGA Classic.

“Just going to continue to work hard and stay in the moment and put myself in contention and hopefully a win will come,” Thompson said after the Drive On Championship.

The first major of the year gives Thompson an opportunity to surge in the power rankings. The Dinah Shore course, home of the Chevron Championship, is one where Thompson has historically excelled. In 12 career starts at Dinah Shore, she’s posted six top-10 finishes, including a victory in 2014.

Starts: 3
Wins: 0
Top 10s: 2
Best Finish: 2nd at LPGA Drive On Championship at Crown Colony

Kent Paisley is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering golf and the LPGA. He also contributes to Golf Digest. Follow him on Twitter @KentPaisley.

NCAA conference realignment drastically altered this year's college sports landscape, affecting volleyball, basketball, and, now, softball, as former titans lose ground while others rise to the occasion.

After years dominating the Big 12, four-time reigning NCAA softball champions Oklahoma are now riding the ups and downs of the stacked SEC.

The Sooners recorded a loss to unranked Missouri and fell twice to then-No. 10 Tennessee last month, before dropping two of three games to then-No. 22 Alabama this week.

With the now-No. 17 Crimson Tide's victories, Oklahoma fell two spots to No. 4 in Tuesday's ESPN/USA Softball rankings update.

Similarly, after adding a pair of weekend losses to then-No. 5 Tennessee alongside earlier stumbles against ranked SEC foes Florida and Mississippi State, former Big 12 standout No. 1 Texas took a tumble, with the 2024 runners-up Longhorns sliding to No. 3 this week.

While those wins earned the Vols a boost to No. 2, a dark horse SEC squad took over the sport's No. 1 spot on Tuesday, when a 12-game winning streak lifted the Texas A&M Aggies atop both the SEC table and the national rankings for the first time in program history.

SEC solidifies itself as top NCAA softball conference

The fall of NCAA softball's recent giants from the sport's elite spots isn't due to a decline in Oklahoma's or Texas's play, but simply a result of the intense level of competition and talent in the SEC.

The conference now lays claim to all of NCAA softball’s top four teams — plus seven of the Top 10.

With the college softball postseason looming next month — not to mention the eight-team Women's College World Series beginning on May 29th — the SEC is proving itself the conference to beat in the 2025 title hunt.

How to watch SEC softball this weekend

While No. 1 Texas A&M will take the weekend off after closing out a three-game series against Missouri early Friday afternoon, both No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Oklahoma will be battling in SEC series.

The Longhorns hope to sweep No. 9 LSU after claiming a 7-3 series-opening win on Thursday. Friday's first pitch between the pair is at 5:30 PM ET on SECN+, with Saturday's final game beginning at 12 PM ET on ESPN2.

The Sooners will kick off their own three-game slate against No. 15 Mississippi State at 5 PM ET on Friday, streaming live on SoonerSports. The pair will close out the series with a Sunday doubleheader beginning at 3 PM ET, with both games airing on SECN+.

With a trio of old and new rivalries on deck, the 2025 NWSL season's fifth matchday promises budding top-table rivals, a bicoastal clash, and one of the league’s longest regional feuds.

Plus, with only two points separating the No. 5 and No. 12 teams in the standings, clubs will be focused on securing all three points as they strive to keep up with the season’s three remaining undefeated teams.

While the NWSL’s official Rivalry Week is still months away, this weekend’s key matchups provide some sneak-peek showdowns:

• Seattle Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns, Friday at 10 PM ET (Prime): In the first Cascadia Clash of the season, the Thorns — fresh off their first 2025 win — face a Seattle team trying to turn around a two-game losing streak.

• Angel City FC vs. Gotham FC, Friday at 10:30 PM ET (NWSL+): A classic East Coast vs. West Coast battle sees Gotham chasing Angel City up the table, as LA tries to keep their unbeaten streak alive against one of the league's more dangerous rosters.

• Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, Saturday at 5:05 PM ET (ION): The Pride downed the Spirit at the 2024 NWSL Championship before Washington enacted revenge in the 2025 Challenge Cup, with both powerhouses now aiming for regular-season bragging rights.

As NWSL teams push for early-season positioning, this weekend’s action promises to up the stakes by tapping into rising tensions and rivalries — both old and new.

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Angel City hires new coach in Bundesliga's Alexander Straus

On Thursday, Angel City announced that the club officially filled its head coaching vacancy, hiring Frauen Bundesliga manager Alexander Straus to take over the LA team after his current season leading Bayern Munich ends on June 1st.

After more than a decade coaching in the club and youth national system of his home country Norway, Straus took charge of Bayern Munich in 2022, leading the German team to back-to-back league titles.

His 2024/25 squad is on track to claim a third straight Bundesliga trophy, and recently exited the competitive UEFA Champions League tournament in the quarterfinal round.

Following manager Becki Tweed's firing in December, ACFC tapped Sam Laity to serve as interim head coach as the club conducted an extensive global search for the permanent position.

"When we set out to hire our head coach, we looked for specific characteristics such as a dominant style of play, a proven winner at the highest level, a focus on player development, a collaborative mindset, and a leader in high performance," said ACFC sporting director Mark Parsons in a club statement. "Alex fits this profile at every measure."

Still undefeated entering the fifth matchday of the 2025 NWSL season, Angel City will continue under Laity until Straus's arrival.

The interim manager will then shift into an assistant coach capacity as Straus leads the 2022 expansion franchise as it hunts a second-ever postseason berth.

The 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League semifinals begin this weekend, as four powerhouse clubs familiar with the UWCL spotlight kick off their first matches of the two-leg round.

France's Olympique Lyonnais, Spain's Barcelona FC, and England's Arsenal and Chelsea will battle it out, with just two tickets to the winner-take-all May 24th final in Portugal on the line.

"The coolest thing about big tournaments and high-stake games is you might be expecting something, and you get something completely different," Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Lindsey Heaps told reporters this week. "That's when you see the best teams come out, and they're able to adjust."

Champions League semis pit WSL against European elite

Arguably topping the four-contender list are defending champs Barcelona, with the Spanish side hunting a fourth UWCL title in five years. First, however, they'll have to contend with a stacked Chelsea team hungry to lift a first-ever Champions League trophy — one that could clinch a historic quadruple.

Meanwhile, with both the men's and women's sides reaching this season's Champions League semifinals, Arsenal will square off against eight-time champions Lyon in a quest to claim their first UWCL title in over 18 years.

Both WSL titans are chasing history against their European opponents, with Arsenal still the only UK team to ever win Champions League.

The Gunners will kick off the round by hosting Lyon in their 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium.

"Playing at the Emirates, and the hunger and the belief that we have as a team at the moment, we're going to go and play our game to the best we can," said Arsenal manager Renée Slegers.

With an estimated 40,000 tickets sold for the pivotal clash, Emirates provides an environment even Arsenal's opponents look forward to competing in.

"You always want these kind of crowds and this kind of atmosphere," Heaps said of the Saturday matchup. "Even if it's against you, it's the best thing in the world."

How to watch the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League semifinals

The first-leg matchups of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League semifinals kicks off on Saturday, when Arsenal hosts Lyon at 7:30 AM ET.

Then on Sunday, Chelsea will travel to Barcelona to take on the reigning champs at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.

After defeating Germany 3-0 in Thursday’s quarterfinal round, Team USA will take on host nation Czechia in Saturday's 2025 IIHF World Championship semifinals, as the squad seeks a record-extending 24th straight appearance in the tournament's title game on Sunday.

"They have the home crowd, so it's definitely going to be a gritty game," US forward Lacey Eden said of Saturday’s matchup. "It's going to be a battle, but we'll be ready for it. We can use the fan energy and kind of go off that."

This year's tournament mirrors Team USA's path in 2024, when the US downed fellow powerhouse Canada in the group stage to reach the title game undefeated — only to lose 6-5 to their North American rivals in an overtime thriller of a championship match.

"It's everything to us," USA defender Cayla Barnes said earlier this week. "We want to be in that final and obviously want to be back on top of the podium, seeing as we fell short last year."

Canada has their own semifinal ahead of them, as the 2024 champs take the ice against Finland in Saturday’s IIHF closer.

Finland is the only country other than the US and Canada to ever play in a Women’s World Championship final, earning silver after taking down Canada in the semis in 2019.

How to watch the 2025 IIHF World Championship this weekend

The 2025 IIHF World Championship semifinals begin Saturday, when the USA takes on Czechia at 9 AM ET, before Canada battles Finland at 1 PM ET.

Saturday's winners will square off in Sunday's final at 12 PM ET.

All US games will air live on the NHL Network.