Marina Alex came up just short in Shiga, Japan, missing out on her third LPGA Tour win after losing to Rio Takeda in a six-hole playoff, but she still had the Move of the Week, jumping 37 spots in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings from No. 122 to No. 85. The Vanderbilt alum played solid in the TOTO Japan Classic, recording three rounds in the 60s to post a four-day total of 15-under and force the playoff with Takeda.

After back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Maybank Championship and TOTO Japan Classic, Alex moved from 61st to 32nd in the Race to the CME Globe standings. The top 60 players in the Race to the CME Globe points list are eligible to compete in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship where players play for a share of an $11 million purse. Alex is back in action this week in Hawaii for the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei and a tee time at 12:04 p.m. local time along with Ayaka Furue and Jin Young Ko.

“I added Hawaii a few weeks ago in an effort to try and get into CME," said Alex after her runner-up performance in Japan. "I'm still excited to go there, but I think it motivated me to get the job done. It's nice to have these next couple of weeks not worried about that as trying to get in and actually keep building on my game and get geared up for CME."

Alex has competed on the LPGA Tour since 2013 and has amassed 35 career top-10 finishes in her 11-year career with $4,940,357 in career earnings. The 34-year-old has made 15 cuts in 22 starts this season, earning four top-10 finishes in addition to her runner-up result in Japan, tying for sixth at the Maybank Championship, tying for sixth at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, tying for seventh at the Mizuho Americas Open and tying for ninth at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

Jin Young Ko in Good Position in the Race to CME Globe

The Race to the CME Globe continues at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei. With 500 points going to the winner, players are looking to move up the standings as the CME Group Tour Championship rapidly approaches. Last week in Japan, there was some slight movement in the top 15 on the Race to the CME Globe points list.

Jin Young Ko moved up three spots from No. 16 to No. 13 with her T22 finish at the TOTO Japan Classic. The 29-year-old has made 14 cuts in her 16 starts this season, earning six top-10 finishes, but she is still looking to earn her first win of the 2024 season. The two-time major champion has amassed 15 wins over her career, having hoisted a trophy at least once in each of the past seven years.

With three tournaments remaining in the 2024 LPGA season and Ko in this week's field, she has another opportunity to extend her consecutive-year win streak.

Making Moves: Marina Alex Moves Up in Rolex Rankings and Race to the CME Globe

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