Chun In-gee rises to qualification spot for Olympic women's golf

Fresh off a runner-up finish at the LPGA Tour's first major of the season, South Korean youngster Chun In-gee rose to the last qualification spot for the Olympics Monday.

Chun finished second behind champion Lydia Ko at ANA Inspiration in California on Sunday, and moved up a notch on the latest women's world rankings to No. 8. She traded positions with fellow South Korean Amy Yang.

Chun is now the fourth-highest South Korean on the rankings, behind No. 2 Park Im-bee, No. 5 Kim Sei-young and No. 6 Jang Ha-na.

The top 15 players in the world are eligible for this year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but with a limit of four players per nation. South Korea, with its deep talent pool of female golfers, boasts eight players inside the top 15, and if the qualification period ended Monday, former major champions like Ryu So-yeon (No. 10) and Kim Hyo-joo (No. 12) will be left off.

The Olympic teams will be determined by the rankings issued on July 11.

Golf will be contested at the Summer Games for the first time in 114 years, and South Korea is considered a favorite in the women's competition. (Yonhap)