McIlroy on top of the world again but how long can he stay there for?
Koepka and Rahm in hot pursuit
RORY McILROY’S return to the top of the world rankings for the first time since September 2015 may be a fleeting one.
So tight are things at the top that the 30-year-old could be dislodged by either Brooks Koepka or Jon Rahm in this week’s $9.3m Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
‘I didn’t know I was going to get a chance this early, but this has been a goal of mine for a while,’ said McIlroy.
‘Winning four times last year, I closed the gap a little. There was a point in the middle of last year where I was four ranking points behind Brooks, which is a big gap.
‘So it wasn’t on the radar when I was flying back from Ireland after the Open, but then, once I’d won the Tour Championship and then won again in China, I kind of saw that gap closing. Then it sort of became, “I’m actually close.”
McIlroy marks the 96th week at No 1 and has every incentive to stay there for a while as he is only one week shy of Nick Faldo’s European record mark of 97. Under the rolling ranking system, Koepka could dislodge McIlroy with a top-seven finish, while Rahm is also within touching distance of top spot after two wins, two runners-up finishes and two other top-10s in his last six events.
A win or outright second at Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles would clinch top spot for the Spaniard for the first time.
McIlroy, who was fourth last year, headlines a stellar field which includes nine of the world’s top ten and a rejuvenated Phil Mickelson.
The evergreen left-hander fell short in his quest for a record sixth Pebble Beach Pro-Am victory on Sunday but said his results over the last few weeks had given him momentum for the rest of the year.
Mickelson got within two strokes of eventual winner Nick Taylor with five holes left but faded down the stretch to finish five back. ‘It was a hard day but
I got outplayed,’ the five-time major champion said after shooting a two-over-par 74 to finish third for the second successive week – he finished three shots behind Graeme McDowell at the Saudi International. ‘These last couple of weeks have really given me a lot of motivation and momentum to continue doing what I’m doing.’
The 49-year-old has plenty to motivate him this year, not least the US Open at Winged Foot, the same venue where he double-bogeyed the last in 2006 when needing only par to win.
He is not currently exempt to return this year to a championship he has never won despite six runner-up finishes.
Mickelson has said he would not accept a special exemption into the tournament in June but Sunday’s third-place finish will help his chances of earning a place on merit.
The result lifted him to 55th in the world rankings, with the top 60 on May 20 exempt.
Also on the horizon this year is the Ryder Cup, an event the American has not missed since making his debut in 1995.
September’s instalment at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin could be his final chance to play in the biennial competition against Europe on home soil.
Meanwhile, Seamus Power finished tied for 38th at Pebble Beach after a final round of 74.
While the 72-hole completion was welcome, a cheque for $28,561 and 13 FedEx points has left Power in 194th place in the FedEx table. He will be eager to kick on when he returns to the Tour for the $3m Puerto Rico Open the week after next.
Power’s appearances on the PGA Tour are limited after he lost his full playing rights last year.