TOP DOG: Rory McIlroy Will Be World #1 Next Week

The Official World Golf Rankings are updated every week so that fans and players know where they stand against their competition. This week, we’ll have the first new #1 golfer in the world in almost a year.

As several people have pointed out on social media and other websites, it looks like Rory McIlroy will be taking over the #1 spot in the OWGR over Brooks Koepka without either of them swinging a club. How does that happen? Well, it’s all based on the divisor that causes you to lose a certain amount of points based on your performances over the past two years.

Since Koepka missed a portion of 2018 and the end of 2019 with injuries, his divisor is causing him to lose points faster than Rory McIlroy. A spokesman for the OWGR confirmed this is the case this week. “Brooks Koepka is losing points at a faster rate due to his recent injury and his divisor is climbing each time he plays for the next three months due to his time out injured in 2018”, they said.

Embed from Getty Images

Koepka had the chance to hold onto his top spot if he finished high enough at the Saudi Invitational. However, after finishing T-17th, he didn’t gain enough points to offset the amount he is set to lose. Koepka still has nothing to be ashamed of as he will have held the #1 spot for 47 total weeks that had seen him win his fourth major championship.

For McIlroy, it will be his first return to the top of the rankings in over four years ago when he was overtaken by Jason Day in 2015. His return to the top of the OWGR is a testament to his consistent play over the past year when he notched four victories in 2019, including the FedEx Cup. It will be Rory’s 8th time in the top spot and his 96th week atop the rankings.

Koepka can certainly regain the top spot with strong performances in upcoming events, and #3 in the OWGR Jon Rahm is also within striking distance of #1. With the new year just getting started and major events on the horizon, it will be interesting to see who ends up breaking away as the true #1 in the coming weeks.

Cover Image Via Twitter