Scottie Scheffler becomes No. 1 golfer ranked 25th in the modern era after winning WGC-Dell Match Play in 2022

With a 4 and 3 win over Kevin Kisner in the title match of the 2022 WGC-Dell Tournament, Scottie Scheffler did what multiple-time champions Phil Mickelson, Collin Morikawa, Jose Maria Olazabal and Bubba Watson did. never been able to do. Scheffler will become the No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking when the new list is released on Monday.

His performance as the 25th golfer ever to be ranked #1 (OWGR began April 1986) and only the ninth American to earn that payout is significant for a number of reasons. , but two stand out more than the rest. Two months ago, Scheffler had never won a PGA Tour event; he’s 0 with 70. In the past six weeks, he’s won three and nearly doubled his career earnings. Scheffler took home the Phoenix Open and the Arnold Palmer Invitational took the lead into this week’s game, going from “best ever won on the Tour” to world No. 1 as quickly as ever.

Worth considering is how many elite players before him never made it to the OWGR throne. Scheffler – never before placing 2nd, 3rd or 4th – not only leaps past two-time major winner, contemporary Collin Morikawa, but also many of the best games this game has ever made on the road. become the world. Number 1 at the age of 25.

Mickelson, Olazabal and Watson, in addition to Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen and John Daly, all of which are big time winners. Remarkably, six months ago, Scheffler was the 12th player on the American Ryder Cup team, and now there is no one on the planet ahead of him.

“I’ll believe it when I see it on the world rankings tomorrow,” Scheffler told NBC after his championship match. “To be honest with you, I never really got this far in my dreams,” he added before bursting into tears. “I love golf, I love competing, and I’m just happy to be out here.”

The Official World Golf Ranking is just one way to measure how great it is, but even a Stats-driven Golf Ranking has Scheffler as the seventh player with that mark sure to go higher after his win at Austin Country Club this week. His entry into the upper crust of modern golf was swift and dramatic. This time 6 weeks ago, he was ranked 14th in the world and had never won the PGA Tour. Now, he has the most wins of anyone this season and is number 1 in the world.

Nearly every golfer who has ever ranked #1 has won at least one major championship. The only exceptions are Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. And while Scheffler has yet to make it to that tournament, he has excelled at the pro tournament over the past few years, finishing six times in a row in the top 20.

Scheffler’s reign atop OWGR may not last, either. He took the position from Jon Rahm this week, who nearly lost his job holding that position. Morikawa, who also made it to Round 16, also has a chance to be No. 1. It will be a battle worth watching as the main season begins, Rahm trying to regain his place and Morikawa and Viktor. Hovland (and others) try to add their names to this exclusive list.