Missing the cut in the year's first LPGA Major has cost Kiwi Lydia Ko he spot atop the women's world golf rankings.
Ko, 26, regained the No.1 spot last November, after taking out the LPGA Tour Championship - one of three victories for the year, with nine other top-five finishes.
The youngest-ever player - male or female - to hold a No.1 ranking at the age of 17, she lost that mantle for five years, before her 2022 resurgence.
"I'm very grateful to be World No. 1 again," Ko, 25, said. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if I'd ever be back here again."
After marrying in December, Ko has made a lowkey start to her 2023 campaign, winning the Saudi Ladies International in February, but firing caddy Derek Kistler and replacing him with Irishman David Jones.
Seeking a victory that would put her in the LPGA Hall of Fame at The Woodlands, Texas, Ko finished three over par after two rounds, missing the cut by two shots.
American Nelly Korda finished third at the tournament to reclaim the top spot, with winner Lilla Vu climbing eight spots to fourth, behind Ko and Korean Jin Young Ko.
