LOS ANGELES -- Long established as the world's No.1 player, Tiger Woods now runs the risk of being deposed at the top of the rankings in the first quarter of 2009.
Woods has been out of action since having reconstructive knee surgery after winning the U.S. Open in June and, as a bystander, has watched his stranglehold at the top steadily loosen week by week.
He has occupied the No. 1 ranking a record total of 529 weeks in his career, first claiming the top spot on June 15, 1997. He has held the position since regaining it from Vijay Singh on June 12, 2005.
After his astonishing playoff victory at Torrey Pines six months ago, Woods enjoyed a substantial lead of 11.328 ranking points against Phil Mickelson.
Spain's Sergio Garcia since has climbed into the second spot in the global pecking order and trails Woods by just 3.865 points going into the new year.
The game's dominant player is unlikely to return to competitive golf until at least February, and his No. 1 status could be usurped by Garcia; Mickelson, currently No. 3; or Padraig Harrington, now No. 4, and recently voted the PGA Tour player of the year.
For Woods to surrender the grip, one of his rivals would have to make a fast start in 2009, in addition to winning at least one of the big tournaments early on.
World ranking points are weighted according to the status of the event and strength of the field. The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Ariz., and the WGC-CA Championship in Miami provide rich reward in the first three months.
Ian Barker of Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has examined projections of the rankings on a month-by-month basis leading up to the April 9-12 Masters, which Woods appears to be aiming for.
"These projections show how, as time passes, Tiger's position at the top becomes more vulnerable," Barker said.
Of course, much will depend on when Woods does return to the game and how effectively he is able to play.
The Masters, the opening major of the year, is his first priority for the 2009 season and ideally he would like to play in a couple of events before that to prepare.
No comments:
Post a Comment