In a conference call, world number one Annika Sorenstam said that the Rolex Womens’ Golf rankings “definitely needs to be tweaked.”

Its just the latest criticism of a ranking system that—at least on the surface—looks as though it was designed to favor Michelle Wie. The rankings consider the last fifteen matches played over two years, which perhaps not coincidentally, is exactly the number of matches played by Michelle Wie. Wie’s performance in those limited appearances have vaulted her over more established players such as Paula Creamer, Christie Kerr,  Lorena Ochoa and Natalie Gulbis, each of whom pocketed more than $1 million in winnings in 2005.

This week’s LPGA tournament is the Safeway International presented by Coca Cola (What a weird title for a tournament. A grocery store chain’s tournament presented by a beverage company?).

At any rate, it’s going to have what is probably the best field thus far this year, with the top 50 players from the 2005 money list.  The only real big name missing is Michelle Wie.

It’s also is the first 72 hole tournament of the year for the LPGA.

The Safeway is held at the Prospector Course, a Nicklaus design in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains. It’ll play as a 6,629 yard par 72.

The Safeway International started in 1980 as a one-day Pro-Am at the Hillcrest Golf Course. Jan Stephenson (of the golf balls in the bathtub fame) was the first champion taking home—get this—$15,000 of the $100,000 purse. It became a full tournament in 1983 when Banner Health became the sponsor. In 1986, Standard Register became the title sponsor and raised the purse to $250,000. Safeway became the sole title sponsor in 2004, after sharing the title in 2003 with Ping.

The tournament has its greatest claim to fame as the place where Annika Sorenstam shot a magical 59—becoming the first woman to do so in a competitive round.

This year’s purse is $1.4 million, and the winner will take home more than twice the total purse in 1980.

And the defending Champion?

Annika Sorenstam, of course.

Tell me if you’ve heard this line before: Annika Sorenstam starts; Annika Sorenstam wins.

In 2005, it was eight wins in 15 starts on the LPGA Tour. There also were two second place finishes.

Sorenstam starts this year in the same fashion, winning the MasterCard Classic in Mexico by one stroke.

Helen Alfredsson and Seon Hwa Lee tied for second. Seon Hwa Lee looks like a real player. She finished 2nd in the Fields Open in Hawaii.

Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and Mi Hyun Kim tied for fourth. Mi Hyun Kim had eight top ten finishes in 18 starts last year. Creamer had two wins, four seconds and two thirds among ten top ten finishes in 19 starts. Gulbis has to be the brightest young star with no wins: she had 9 top tens, in twenty starts.

Now here’s something you don’t see every day: the LPGA is using carts at this week’s tournament at the MasterCard Classic at BosqueReal Country Club in
Mexico City, Mexico. The Golf Channel commentators explained that it’s becuase of the great distances between the holes and the altitude—they’re at over 7,874 feet. It probably doesn’t help that Mexico City has the worst air quality in the world.

I’m watching the tournament on TiVo, and just caught a glimpse of Sorenstam whizzing away in a cart.

She was driving.

I thought that was funny, at first, and was prepared to make a joke about it. But then I got to wondering if it is more advantageous to drive than to ride. It seems to me that if you are driving, it is easier to concentrate on the course and the game. Riding in the shotgun seat may just be too passive.

As a result of her third place finish in the Fields Open in Hawaii, Michelle Wie has vaulted over Paula Creamer into second place in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Annika Sorenstam remains in first place. Paula Creamer dropped one to third,  Yuri Fudoh is in fourth;  Cristie Kerr is fifth.

It’ll be interesting to see how the formula plays out, as Wie is unable to play in a full schedule of LPGA events.

Things are really looking up for the LPGA, with the second playoff in as many weeks. This week, Meena Lee edged out Seon Hwa Lee to win the Fields Open.

Meena Lee closed on Seon Hwa Lee with a 7-under 65 to force a playoff. Three holes later, the 24-year-old Meena Lee had a victory over the 20-year-old Seon Hwa Lee. Michelle Wie finished one stroke out, in third. Nicole Castrale, Lorena Ochoa, Julieta Granada and Natalie Gulbis all were tied for fourth. Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel were notables in a large pack tied for 11th.

I don’t think the LPGA could be any happier. It’s 20-somethings were all bunched together at the top. Wie and Pressel had their showdown, as the two played together. And Wie didn’t win. I can’t imagine the LPGA being really pleased if a non-member had won an LPGA event.

I also think it’s interesting that Koreans have won the first two LPGA events of the year, and that they have figured so strongly up and down the leaderboard. It speaks well of South Korea’s junior girls golf programs.

Next week, the tour is off to Mexico City, and Annika Sorenstam will make her first appearance. She’s likely to win, for she dominates the sport as no other. Sadly, neither Wie, nor Pressel will be there. But the way the Korean contingent is playing, they could give Sorenstam a run for her money.

The GolfBlogger is once again ascending the Grassy Knoll to address the latest conspiracy in golf: The Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.

The Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking was released this last week to a great deal of controversy when it was revealed that Michelle Wie is currently the world’s number 3 women’s golfer.

How’s that? Wie has played in only 15 LPGA events over the past two years. Aren’t the rankings based on a player’s last 40 starts (like the men’s)? With only 15 starts, she shouldn’t even be on the list.

But she is. And that’s because in the new Rolex rankings, players are ranked according to their last 15 starts—exactly the number of LPGA starts that Wie had from 2004 to 2005.

Coincidence? I think not. I’m absolutely certain that when they sat down to pick a number, they checked to make sure Wie would fit under the bar. They knew that having Wie on the list would generate interest for the inaugural Rolex rankings.

So that explains why Wie is on the list. But how did she get to number three? Even though Wie played in 15 events, she couldn’t manage to win any of them. Christie Kerr, on the other hand, is in fifth place with five victories. And Ai Miyazato, with 11 victories, is in sixth.

It’s simple: of Wie’s 15 events, six of them were majors and she finished in the top four in three of those. So based on her limited number of starts, Wie was able to vault over more proven players.

We’ll have to see how this thing shakes out over the next couple of months. The rankings place greater emphasis on the most recent 13 weeks. And with Wie’s more limited playing schedule, some analysts are thinking that Wie will fall from her initial lofty position.

But I’m not convinced.

Where’s the Warren Commission on this one?