Rory McIlroy has returned to the top of the world rankings for the first time since September 2015.
McIlroy and Brooks Koepka did not contest the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am last week, but McIlroy has moved above the American due to the vagaries of the two-year rolling ranking system.
However, both are in action this week at the Genesis Invitational, where Webb Simpson is set to be the only member of the world’s top 10 not competing in a star-studded field at Riviera.
This will be McIlroy’s 96th week in total as world No 1, one behind the record for a European player held by Sir Nick Faldo, although his lead over fellow four-time major winner Koepka is just 0.03 points.
McIlroy finished tied for third in his only previous start in 2020 at the Farmers Insurance Open, before which he discussed the prospect of becoming world No 1 again.
“I didn’t know I was going to get a chance this early, but this has been a goal of mine for a while,” the 30-year-old said. “Winning four times last year, I closed the gap a little. There was a point in the middle of last year where I was four ranking points behind Brooks, which is a big gap.
“So it wasn’t on the radar when I was flying back from Ireland after the Open but then, once I’d won the Tour Championship and then won again in China, I kind of saw that gap closing. Then it sort of became, ‘Huh, I’m actually close.’ We all have egos out here and it would be great to get back there.”
Spain’s Jon Rahm is also within touching distance of top spot after two wins, two runners-up finishes and two other top-10s in his past six events.
LPGA cancels two tournaments amid coronavirus fears
LPGA tournaments in Thailand and Singapore have been cancelled because of concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The Honda LPGA Thailand, which was scheduled to take place on 20-23 February in Pattaya, and the HSBC Women’s World Championship – due to be held in Singapore from 27 February to 1 March – have both been called off.
An LPGA statement read: “The health and safety of our players, fans and everyone working on the event is always our highest priority. While we are disappointed that these tournaments will not take place this season, we look forward to returning to Asia soon.”
