Golf: Lydia Ko's 82-week reign at the top in danger

Lydia Ko in action last month at the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout in Irving, Texas. Photo / Getty Images.

Lydia Ko is at severe risk of being dislodged from her number one spot atop of the Rolex Women's Golf Rankings ahead of this week's Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Ko has been ranked number one in the world for a grand total of 101 weeks since she first claimed the accolade as a 17-year-old in 2015, and has stayed at the top for 82 consecutive weeks since recapturing the crown from Inbee Park on October 26, 2015.

However, the 20-year-old has been winless in her previous 18 events, with her last victory coming in the Marathon Classic in July last year.

At that point, Ko was 7.10 ranking points ahead of the chasing pack.

That has changed significantly in the wake of her 10-month drought, with the second-placed So Yeon Ryu of South Korea just 0.23 points behind the Olympic silver medallist, while the third-placed Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand is 0.25 points from the top spot.

Should Ko fail to finish ahead of either Ryu or Jutanugarn at the Kingsmill Championship this week, her 82-week title as the best female golfer on the planet will be passed on to either the South Korean or the Thai.

Jutanugarn is the defending champion of the event, winning by one stroke last year by shooting a 4-under 67 in the final round.

Ko's mission to stay on top of the rankings will start this Friday, with the first round teeing off at 11pm (NZT).