Louis Oosthuizen has returned to the world’s top 20 in the latest official world rankings, after finishing runner-up to Si Woo Kim at The Players Championship on Sunday.
WATCH: The Players final round highlights
Oosthuizen, who earned almost R12.3-million for his efforts at TPC Sawgrass, returns to the top 20 for the first time since October 2016, after his best finish worldwide in 2017.
The 34-year-old joins fellow South African Charl Schwartzel, who remains in 17th despite a missed cut at golf’s unofficial fifth major, at the business end of the rankings. Branden Grace dropped two spots to 24th, after making the cut on the number and going on to finish in a share of 48th place.
There were some slight movements inside the top 10, with Jason Day, who finished his Players defence with a round of 80 on Sunday, dropping to fourth, with Hideki Matsuyama moving into third. Masters champion Sergio Garcia moved up one spot to take Jordan Spieth’s fifth position, with Adam Scott moving past Rickie Fowler to sit in ninth, which in turn moved Justin Thomas out of the top 10.
The Players winner, Si Woo Kim, moved up 47 places to sit in 28th place after winning his second PGA Tour title.
Richard Sterne dropped four places and now sits precariously in 100th place on the rankings – South Africa’s sixth best player.
One of the few South Africans showing a green arrow this week, Erik Van Rooyen claimed a top 10 in Portugal to move from 329 to 287th in the world.
Top 10 South African rankings:
Charl Schwartzel – 17
Louis Oosthuizen – 18
Branden Grace – 24
Brandon Stone – 81
Dylan Fritelli – 96
Richard Sterne – 100
Dean Burmester – 108
Jaco Van Zyl – 123
George Coetzee – 135
Thomas Aiken – 166
