Brooks Koepka’s rise to the top of the world rankings was based on his profilic success in the Majors, but now two players have caught up.
The Farmers Insurance Open was a spectacle for the PGA TOUR. A stacked field arrived at a famed venue and saw Tiger Woods make a run at No 83 with Patrick Reed and Tony Finau also pressing for the win.
Jon Rahm ended second and Rory McIlroy shared third. Both were left to rue exceptionally poor starts after fighting their way back to close with rounds of 70 and 69, respectively.
The Spaniard’s bogey on 15 came between an eagle, birdie to the left and three straight birdies to close.
McIlroy turned two under par even after a run of three bogeys in four holes to start. A place at the top of the world rankings was on the line coming home, but he could not keep the mistakes off the card and ‘settled’ for another top-five finish. His consistency has been remarkable over the past 18 months but his chance to edge Koepka out of top spot has gone.
This week, all eyes will be on Rahm at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and Koepka in Saudi Arabia.
If Rahm wins, it will force the American, equal with McIlroy on four Majors, to finish in a share of fourth or better. Both fields are strong, which plays in Koepka’s favour as he looks to hold on to his place for a 46th week.
Elsewhere, Louis Oosthuizen remains in 14th place after a T23 in Dubai with Christiaan Bezuidenhout up 30 places to 60th after his playoff loss.
Jordan Spieth is the big loser after dropping to 51st place in the latest rankings; it’s the first time in over six years that he does not feature among the world’s leading 50 players.
