When Xander Schauffele recovers from celebrating his first Major Championship victory at the 2024 PGA Championship, he’ll discover that he’s replaced Rory McIlroy as the new World No.2.
It’s unlikely to spark another wave of celebrations, certainly not when you’ve just won your maiden Major title and you’ve been inside the world’s top 10 since July 2022.
The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has also been widely criticised in recent times for not awarding points to LIV Golf events, which has led both fans and players to question its credibility.
Even so, given how important points are in gaining entry into the Major Championships, credible or not, they cannot be ignored, and following Schauffele’s win at Valhalla, there have been a number of significant moves in the OWGR.
DeChambeau, who hasn’t been shy in offering his thoughts on the current OWGR, was ranked at 124 in prior to the PGA Championship, but the former US Open champion, who finished runner-up to Schauffele, is back inside the world’s top 50 for the first time since October 2022, at No.35.
There was good news for another of LIV Golf’s strongest players, too. South Africa’s Dean Burmester has put himself on the cusp of breaking back into the world’s top 100 following a decent week in Kentucky, his T12 finish helping him jump from 133 to 105.
Schauffele may be up to a career-high No.2 in the world, but after lifting the Wanamaker trophy he acknowledged that everyone has work to do to catch Scheffler at the top.
“All of us are climbing this massive mountain. At the top of the mountain is Scottie Scheffler,” he said. “I won this today, but I’m still not that close to Scottie Scheffler in the big scheme of things.
“I got one good hook up there in the mountain up on that cliff, and I’m still climbing. I might have a beer up there on that side of the hill there and enjoy this, but it’s not that hard to chase when someone is so far ahead of you.”
Elsewhere, Collin Morikawa, who endured a frustrating final day at Valhalla when well placed to add to his two Major Championship titles, moved back inside the world’s top 10.
Morikawa was tied for the lead with Schauffele going into the final, but finished T4, a result that still saw him rise to No.9.
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