By:
Jack Hirsh
January 21, 2023
World No. 4 Jon Rahm cannot get to No. 1 this week.
Getty Photographs
Jon Rahm simply can’t catch a break relating to the Official World Golf Rankings.
The World No. 4 and winner earlier this month on the Sentry Match of Champions continued his latest robust play to begin this week’s American Categorical. He opened with back-to-back rounds of 64 to begin the third spherical in second alone, two strokes behind rookie chief Davis Thompson.
He’s been on a worldwide heater for the previous couple of months. In his final 9 begins, Rahm has completed exterior the highest 10 simply as soon as and notched three wins.
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And in that point, he’s moved solely from No. 6 to No. 4 on the earth.
Now Rahm is the topic of a novel world rating wrinkle: In keeping with OWGR guru Nosferatu, with a win this week, Rahm can solely transfer one spot increased, to No. 3 whereas World No. 5 Patrick Cantlay can soar as excessive as No. 1.
🚨#OWGR is filled with fancy stuff this week. This is likely one of the craziest projections I’ve seen in a very long time…
Patrick Cantlay is at present ranked #5 and he may attain No.1 with a win at @theamexgolf
Jon Rahm is at present ranked #4, however he may solely attain #3 with a win!! 🫣
— Nosferatu (@VC606) January 19, 2023
The OWGR made tweaks to the rating formulation again in August and Rahm has not, by any measure, been a fan.
In November, on the DP World Championship, he known as the rating system “laughable.” Underneath the brand new system, limited-field occasions — like those Rahm gained on the Sentry and DP World Tour Championship — carry much less weight.
“The truth that the RSM doesn’t have any of the highest 20 on the earth has extra factors than this occasion [DP World Tour Championship] the place we’ve seven of the highest 20 is laughable,” Rahm stated in Dubai — the place he gained 5 days later. “The truth that Wentworth [BMW PGA Championship] had much less factors than Napa [Fortinet Championship], having gamers within the high 10 on the earth is laughable.”
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The modifications, he believed, unfairly favored the PGA Tour over DP World Tour occasions because the OWGR now not applies minimal event values. These minimums had been a bonus to the DP World Tour, which has usually weaker fields than the PGA Tour.
“I perceive what they’re attempting to do with the depth of subject, however having the most effective gamers on the earth routinely makes the event higher,” he stated then. “I don’t care what their system says. I believe they’ve made a mistake. I believe some facets of it could be helpful however I believe they’ve devalued the worth of the higher gamers…. I may go on and on. I believe they’ve missed the mark on that stance fairly a bit.”
Then after his come-from-behind win two weeks in the past in Maui, he took additional displeasure with Patrick Cantlay nonetheless being ranked forward of him.
“Because the playoffs… I’ve gained thrice and I don’t even get near [Cantlay],” Rahm advised Sky Sports activities. “So I’m attempting to grasp what’s occurring.”
He additionally stated he may presumably be the world’s high participant if the modifications hadn’t gone into impact.
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By:
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“Had they not modified the world rating factors I’d have been fairly rattling shut [to world No. 1] proper now,” Rahm advised Sky Sports activities. “However in my thoughts, I really feel like since August I’ve been the most effective participant on the earth.”
In December, with the assistance of statistician Mark Broadie, GOLF’s resident OWGR Sean Zak skilled identified these OWGR criticisms ignore the actual fact It’s going to take time for the modifications to take full impact.
At The American Categorical, Rahm must win so as to supplant World No. 3 Cam Smith — who has performed simply two OWGR occasions since becoming a member of LIV Golf in September. In keeping with Nosferatu, Cantlay can soar Rahm, Smith, Scottie Scheffler and present World No. 1 Rory McIlroy with a win and Scheffler ending exterior the highest 8.
Scheffler, in the meantime, can return to World No. 1 with a solo eighth end or higher, or if he finishes solo ninth, a 3-way T8 or 2-way T8 and if Cantlay doesn’t win.
McIlroy makes his 2023 debut subsequent week on the Hero Dubai Desert Traditional on the DP World Tour.
Jack Hirsh
Golf.com Editor
Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is 2020 graduate of Penn State College, incomes levels in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his highschool golf staff and nonetheless *tries* to stay aggressive in native amateurs. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but in addition producing, anchoring and even presenting the climate. He could be reached at [email protected]