Women’s Australian Open Top-10 Player Power Rankings

In some respects, Ernst is a bit of a wild card in my power rankings. This will be her Women’s Australian Open debut and she has little experience competing on links-style tracks. To do so successfully is going to require some adaptability on her part. At the same time, Ernst brings a very determined can-do attitude to her game and, with her brother on the bag, she’s going to have the added advantage of support from a caddie who knows both the strengths and weaknesses of her game intimately. I’ve watched them work together. Ernst listens to him and depends on him.

So, my Women’s Australian Open ranking for Ernst is based not so much on her player stats or on her performance record as it is on an intuitive guess that she’s highly motivated, has the basic skill set needed to contend, and the on-course support to make it all happen.