NAPLES, Fla. ?Yani Tseng can뭪 seem to shake Stacy Lewis these days.
When Tseng pulled into the parking lot this week for the season-ending CME Group Titleholders, she couldn뭪 help noticing Lewis was assigned the spot right next to hers.
When Lewis won the Mizuno Classic in Japan two weeks ago to virtually clinch Rolex Player of the Year honors, Tseng played two rounds with Lewis.
The No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world are getting closer in ranking points every week.
Good naturedly, Tseng reminded the media Wednesday that she뭩 still No. 1.
밆on뭪 forget about that,?Tseng said. 밒 can still have a happy ending.?/P>
That뭩 the thing about Tseng뭩 year. Her reign as No. 1 has not been as much fun as it ought to be. She hasn뭪 been as happy as she believes she should have been, but she뭩 learning to remedy that.
밫he last three or four months, I was really trying too hard and putting too much pressure on myself,?Tseng said. 밒 second guessed myself whether I can still win a tournament. I was struggling, and I wasn뭪 very happy.?/P>
Tseng뭩 run at No. 1 has reached 91 consecutive weeks, but the longer she carries the top ranking, the more she has felt its burdens. She뭩 learning to carry it better. She뭩 learning to smile even when she뭩 struggling. She calls this year a learning experience.
밇verybody wants to be No. 1, but no one understands how hard it would be to be No. 1,?Tseng said. 밡ow I know why Lorena [Ochoa] and Annika [Sorenstam] retired, because it뭩 very hard.?/P>
Tseng뭩 lead in the Rolex World Rankings is still significant, but it뭩 shrinking rapidly.
Tseng has 12.24 average world-ranking points. Seven months ago, Lewis was a whopping 12.15 average points behind Tseng. Today, Lewis is 2.92 average points behind.
How close is Lewis to catching Tseng? Lewis won뭪 be able to overtake Tseng with a victory this week, and it isn뭪 likely she could give herself a chance until about a month into next season. A win against a strong field typically nets a player .7 of a point.
This much is clear, though. Lewis wants the No. 1 ranking.
밫hat뭩 one of the things I am going to pay attention to going into next year,?Lewis said. 밫hat뭩 been one of the goals this year, to chip away at her lead and narrow that gap. That뭩 the next goal for me, to be No. 1 in the world, but you have to win tournaments, you have to be in contention. Being No. 1 is the result of a lot of hard work, and I just have to keep working hard.?/P>
While Tseng is still No. 1 in the world, Lewis has clearly been the best player in the world over the last six months.
Lewis has made her surge coming out of the shadows. Americans Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer and Lexi Thompson have all garnered more attention than Lewis going into a season over the years.
밃 lot of the American players, you look at Lexi and Michelle, there뭩 always this hype in the beginning, and all the pressure, things like that I didn뭪 have,?Lewis said. 밒 didn뭪 have all the expectations everyone else had, and I think that뭩 really helped me get to where I am.?/P>
Lewis believes she뭩 ready to handle the hype that comes with being regarded as the game뭩 best player.
밫here뭩 a lot of expectations and a lot of pressure there,?Lewis said. 밒f there뭩 anything I뭭e learned this year, it뭩 that when there뭩 more pressure on, you뭭e just got to go have fun.
밚ooking into next year, I want to keep enjoying this stuff. When it becomes pressure and a burden, you뭨e doing it for the wrong reasons.?/P>
Hall of Famer Judy Rankin, a Golf Channel analyst, believes seeing Tseng and Lewis at their best together in a battle for No. 1 would be good for the women뭩 game.
밯e need that,?Rankin said.
Tseng is playing for the sixth consecutive week. It뭩 a lot of golf, but she believes she뭩 on the cusp of something good again.
밇verything뭩 getting better,?Tseng said. 밒 feel I뭢 in good position. I feel I have a chance to win a tournament.?/P>
Tseng has been candid about her summer slump, how she has struggled with the expectations that come with being No. 1, this debilitating sense that anything less than a victory is a failure. The openness seems to be cathartic, but it뭩 also made her look vulnerable.
밒 always check the Internet, for what the talk is about me,?Tseng said. 밒t gets in my mind, really. It kind of hurts a little bit.?/P>
Gary Gilchrist, Tseng뭩 coach, took a trip to Malaysia last month to spend extended time with Tseng.
밒 think she뭩 getting her priorities right,?Gilchrist said. 밒nstead of worrying about winning tournaments, she뭩 getting back to the basics. She뭩 trying to enjoy herself and focus on the process.?/P>
Tseng opened this year winning three times, but she struggled when summer arrived. She missed back-to-back cuts, went 12 consecutive rounds without breaking par and didn뭪 record a top-10 finish in five months.
While she responded quickly to Gilchrist뭩 visit with a pair of third-place finishes and a fourth-place finish on the fall Asian swing, she뭩 still looking for her first victory in almost eight months.
밒 give Yani a lot of credit for the way she뭩 conducted herself through this,?Rankin said. 밒 give her a lot of credit for the way she has fought through it.?/P>
If Lewis keeps coming on, Tseng뭩 fight to remain No. 1 might be just beginning.