Luke consolidates as Tiger tumbles

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September 7, 2011

Luke Donald didn’t win on Monday, but his joint 3rd-place finish strengthened his hold on his No 1 World Rankings slot.

Luke Donald didn’t win the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday, but his joint 3rd place finish strengthened his hold on his number one spot on the World Rankings list.

And this in a week when Tiger Woods, the old, many-titled World No 1 but not playing right now after missing out on qualifying for the FedEx Cup play-offs, continued his free fall towards an exit from that all important Top 50 bubble that stands as a qualifier for most of the golfing world’s biggest tournaments.

Tiger tumbled to No 44 this week and as he is not due to play again until October, he could well find himself in the 50s before the month is out.

The new World No 1, still without a major title, but still as solid as a rock in every tournament he plays in, has, in the meantime, moved to 10.41 points on the Rankings list and extended hos lead over fellow Englishman to 2.25 points.

Webb Simpson, the rising young American star who beat Donald in Monday’s Deusche Bank Championship, has soared 13 places in the rankings from 37th to a career best 14th and veteran Thomas Bjorn’s victory at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, his second on the European Tour in as many weeks, has hoisted the Dane from 59th to 28th.

In other moves at the top end of the rankings list, reigning US Open champion Rory McIlroy, who finished third behind Bjorn and Kaymer in Switzerland on Sunday, has moved up to a career high ranking at No 4 behind Englishmen Donald and Westwood and Germany’s Martin Kaymer at the expense of Steve Stricker.

Stricker continues to head the US presence on the Rankings list with Dustin Johnson, winner of the first FedEx Cup play-off event The Barclays, directly behind him in sixth place, Phil Mickelson in 8th place and Matt Kuchar 9th.

Australians Jason Day (7th) and Adam Scott (10th) fill the remaining two places on the World Ranking’s Top 10 list.

The World’s Top 20 after Tuesday’s update are:

1 Luke Donald 10.41
2 Lee Westwood 8.16
3 Martin Kaymer 7.03
4 Rory McIlroy 6.88
5 Steve Stricker 6.84
6 Dustin Johnson 6.75
7 Jason Day 6.09
8 Phil Mickelson 5.84
9 Matt Kuchar 5.84
10 Adam Scott 5.83
11 Nick Watney 5.36
12 Charl Schwartzel 5.11
13 Graeme McDowell 4.75
14 Webb Simpson 4.67
15 Bubba Watson 4.66
16 KJ Choi 4.58
17 David Toms 4.07
18 Ian Poulter 4.02
19 Paul Casey 3.93
20 Robert Karlsson 3.86

Other leading Europeans:

24 Francesco Molinari
26 Anders Hansen
28 Thomas Bjorn
29 Martin Laird
31 Matteo Manassero
33 Alvaro Quiros
36 Miguel Angel Jimenez
37 Justin Rose
38 Darren Clarke
47 Sergio Garcia
51 Peter Hanson
52 Edoardo Molinari
55 Simon Dyson
61 Fredrik Jacobson
68 Alexander Noren
72 Ross Fisher
75 Padraig Harrington
79 Nicolas Colsaerts
83 Brian Davis
84 Raphael Jacquelin
89 Fredrik Andersson Hed
91 Pablo Larrazabal
92 Jamie Donaldson
98 Stephen Gallacher