In 2022, only three men held the top three positions in the Official World Golf Rankings. Switching between a few stars, Rory McIlroy is the current holder of the title, having reclaimed it for the ninth time in his career with a victory at The CJ Cup in South Carolina in October. Will the Northern Irishman be able to retain pole position for the entirety of 2023, despite having previously relinquished it, and with the OWGR taking on a relatively new shape, or will someone else usurp him?
The previous year began with Jon Rahm at the top of the golf world. Rahm began his 2022 season with a runner-up finish at the Tournament of Champions, followed by another podium finish a few weeks later at the Farmers Insurance Open. Scottie Scheffler’s ascension to the top began with a top-10 finish at the WM Phoenix Open.
After defeating Patrick Cantlay in a playoff in Phoenix, Scheffler went on to have a historic spring, culminating in a victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks later. With his victory in his collegiate hometown of Austin, Texas, the Texan officially claimed the world No. 1 position as he progressed through the WGC Match Play.
Scheffler won his first career major championship at The Masters, putting some distance between himself and the rest of the professional golf field. Four victories in six weeks cemented him as the best player in the world. With runner-up finishes at the US Open and the Charles Schwab Challenge, his status remained stable, but he began to show cracks in the latter stages of the summer. Scheffler saw an object grow larger in his rearview mirror after failing to convert his 54-hole lead at the Tour Championship into the FedEx Cup title. This object’s name is Rory McIlroy.
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