Cameron Smith started the year as the world’s No. 21 player, but that didn’t last long.
He shot up to No. 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions and setting the PGA Tour score record. After winning The Players Championship on the strength of ten final-round birdies, Smith is now the world’s sixth-ranked player.
Smith is ranked first, followed by Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, and Dustin Johnson.
After The Players, the top five in the OWGR remained unaltered, with Jon Rahm holding his No. 1 ranking.
Anirban Lahiri, who finished solo second, jumped 233 places in the global rankings, from No. 322 to No. 89.
After missing the cut at The Players, Brooks Koepka’s tenure inside the top 20 came to an end. Since winning his first major victory, the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, Koepka had been in the top 20 of the global rankings.
Players who finish in the top 64 of the OWGR after The Players will be assured a spot in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play the following week. Ian Poulter, well known for his Ryder Cup match-play heroics, is at lucky No. 64.
