By Kieran Clark
During 2019, emerging stars made a name for themselves, while others seem steeped in a steady decline and have questions to answer, as we slip into the ‘Roaring Twenties.’
Taking more than a cursory glance at the latest Official World Golf Ranking and comparing it to the final standings from last year, we identified several players who have ascended, or slumped throughout the past 12 months.
Shane Lowry’s Open Championship win moved him from 75th last year to 19th at the end of 2019. Having been left in tears after missing the cut at the 2018 Open, Lowry came back brilliantly to win the Abu Dhabi Championship, as well as, capture the Claret Jug in front of his fellow countrymen at Royal Portrush. Hopefully 2020 brings a Ryder Cup debut for the Irishman.
Bernd Wiesberger’s lengthy recovery from a wrist injury saw him drop to No 185 in the world, however three wins in 2019 on the European Tour moved him back to No. 23. He is now a contender to make the 2020 European Ryder Cup team.
Following the 2018 BMW PGA Championship, Danny Willett, the former Masters champion had fallen to 462nd in the OWGR. It was a stunning fall, just two years after donning the Green Jacket. He turned things around with a win at the 2018 DP World Tour Championship, plus good showings in the U.S. Open and Open Championships, before winning the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship in September. His efforts have been rewarded by moving up from No. 89 to No. 29 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Scotsman Robert MacIntyre moved from No. 247 to No. 66 in the world and was named the European Tour’s Rookie of the Year. He finished runner-up in three European Tour events and added a sixth-place finish at the Open Championship. The only goal left for him is to get his maiden win.
Scottie Scheffler saw a phenomenal rise from No. 1,589 to No. 67. He first popped onto the golf radar as the low amateur at the 2017 U.S. Open. After turning professional, he won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019 and secured his PGA Tour card for 2020. The 23-year-old has already recorded three top 10’s, suggesting that the former Walker Cup player is someone to watch.
2019 PGA Tour rookie, Collin Morikawa jumped from No. 2,006 to No. 68 in just a few months as a professional. He was the No. 1 ranked amateur in 2018 and enjoyed a quick breakthrough in the professional ranks. With a runner-up to fellow emerging star Matthew Wolff at the 3M Open and a victory at the Barracuda Championship, he is definitely someone to watch in 2020.
In one of the most remarkable career turnarounds in years, tour veteran Brendon Todd had drifted down the world rankings to No. 2,006, but a runner-up finish in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship sparked his revival and he earned a PGA Tour card for 2020. After a slow start with four missed cuts in September and October, Todd found the winner’s circle in Bermuda and again in Mayakoba. He also collected a third-place finish in the RSM Classic to cap his meteoric rise. He has moved to No. 70 in the world, after the Fall Wrap-Around Season, and leads the FedEx Cup points list. Inspiring stuff from a veteran, who had sunk to the depths of the golf world.
Viktor Hovland was the low amateur in both the 2019 Masters and U.S. Open. Then the 22-year-old, former Oklahoma State Cowboy, from Norway turned professional, and has impressed with his consistent scoring. The 2018 U.S. Amateur champion has risen from No. 1,157 to No. 95 in the world ranking and is being mentioned as a potential Ryder Cup player. There is good reason to be excited by this talent.
In the spring of 2019, Matt Wolff won the NCAA Division 1 Championship and helped his team make it to the semi-finals before losing to Texas. In just his third event, after turning professional, he won the 3M Championship to earn full PGA Tour membership. From being outside the top 1,000 to claiming the 117th spot in the world ranking, Wolff is a bright star for the future of golf.
One player who is going the wrong direction in the world rankings is Phil Mickelson, who fell outside the Top 50 in world ranking for the first time in over 25 years.
Although Phil won the AT&T National Pro-Am in February, he played dreadfully during the summer. Approaching his 50th birthday in June perhaps it’s time for Phil to conquer new horizons on the PGA Tour Champions.
This article is reprinted with permission from Kieran Clark and was originally posted to GolfShake.com. To read the entire article visit: https://www.golfshake.com/news/view/14521/Notable_World_Golf_Ranking_Rises_and_Falls_of_2019.html
