It's definitely an interesting time to be ranking the Super Sophs in particular and the Young Guns in general. Before the start of the season, I went out on a limb and predicted that we'll start seeing the best of them play a major role in the Player of the Year race, and I was duly impressed by Inbee Park when I watched her play the last few holes with Ai Miyazato at the Wegmans a couple of Saturdays ago, but even I have to admit to being blown away by Park's and Eun-Hee Ji's back-to-back wins. The Super Sophs have now tied the Class of 2008 in victories this season and overall majors, but both still trail the Junior Mints by 2 total wins. I wonder who will be next in the Young Gun victory parade? Here are the top Super Soph prospects.

Simply the Best

1. Inbee Park: From #5 to #1 in 3 months--that's what getting hot will do for you in this class. That and becoming the youngest winner in U.S. Women's Open history! She's been riding her putter thus far this season; if her ballstriking doesn't improve, she's vulnerable to runs from her peers.

2. Eun-Hee Ji: Her win at the Wegmans shouldn't have been all that surprising, given her 4 victories on the KLPGA and her gaining exempt status in only a handful of starts as a rookie. If she can putt like she did at Locust Hill the rest of the season, she'll be the #1 in her class by season's end. But she needs to make more birdies more consistently just to hold steady.

3. Angela Park: The former #1 has given her peers a lot of help the past few months, but hopefully her T3 at the Open means her putter is coming back online for her. She needs something to go right for her--she's dropped all the way from #9 to #26 in my Best of the LPGA ranking system in the past 6 months.

The Contenders

4. In-Kyung Kim: Like Angela Park, this former #2 in her class had a great Open, but what a long drought between her top 10 at the HSBC Women's Champions and her feats at Interlachen. I've heard injuries had something to do with it, so let's hope she's healthy for the rest of the season.

5. Song-Hee Kim: The second-highest-ranked Super Soph in my Best of the LPGA system, she would be at the top of her class if she hadn't let that 1 bad round back into her most recent tournaments.

6. Jane Park: Still not making as many birdies or cuts as a player of her obvious talents ought to be, but her accomplishments in her 1st full season on tour show how much potential the current leader in the "best career-to-be among the LPGA's Parks" Waggle Room poll has.

Quantum Leap Candidates

7. Na On Min: Struggling by the standards she set for herself last season when she won her card as a non-exempt player, but a lock to win her card again.

8. Ji Young Oh: On of the nice surprises of her class this season. She's shown she can go low and put herself in contention, but she still has a tendency to blow up on Sundays.

9. Jin Joo Hong: This 2-time KLPGA winner (including, like Junior Mint Jee Young Lee, a surprise win at the Asian Swing's joint KLPGA-LPGA event) definitely has the potential to excel on the LPGA, but she needs to make more birdies if she plans to keep her card.

10. Kristy McPherson: Now that this non-exempt player has locked up her card for 2009, she can focus on improving her putting and getting more birdies.

11. Irene Cho: Another non-exempt player who locked up her card for 2009, she's been less consistent than McPherson but got a top 10 at the LPGA Championship. Now she can get to work on her ballstriking.

12. Charlotte Mayorkas: Slumping badly lately, but can still keep her card if her ballstriking and putting both come around....

As always, I show my work at Mostly Harmless--and rank the rest of the class.