There have been 18 players ranked No.1 in the world since the Official World Golf Rankings were introduced in 1986.
It looks like we are on the verge of the 19th player, despite the fact that he will not even be teeing it up this week at the Byron Nelson Championship.
Adam Scott entered the PLAYERS Championship on Thursday needing just a tie for 16th place to leap in front of Tiger Woods as the No.1 player in the world. Scott recorded a T38 finish, well back of the finish he needed to assume the ranking. That however doesn’t appear to matter if the predictions are true.
Woods has not been able to play since undergoing back surgery at the beginning of April. He missed the Masters for the first time in his career, and was unable to defend his PLAYERS Championship victory from a year ago. Woods has been the No.1 player in the world for more weeks than any other player, and will get one more week before Scott likely assumes the throne.
There were four players in total who had the chance to the top of the golfing ladder at the PLAYERS Championship. They were Scott, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, and Henrik Stenson. Kuchar is the only player of the four teeing it up this week at the Byron Nelson Championship, but even with a win he wouldn’t take over the top spot this week.
A decade ago, it looked like Scott would eventually become the No.1 player in the world, or at the very least the biggest challenger to Woods. After years of underachieving, Scott is back on top and is one of the most consistent players in the world. That play resulted in a victory at the Masters in 2013, his first Major Championship win.
Scott has arguably the best swing in golf. It’s certainly the most appealing visually. It’s been the putting that has held Scott back. Of course, come next year he will not be able to use his current anchored putter. He has yet to change however.
Woods is still sidelined and likely won’t be back before the U.S. Open. The more likely scenario is a return for the British Open and PGA Championship. If he can’t return by then he likely wouldn’t qualify statistically for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Effectively, Woods’ season would be done.
Scott will likely carry the No.1 ranking into the U.S. Open from Pinehurst, where he will be tabbed as a favorite to win.
The 10th Presidents Cup gets underway on Thursday, as the best players from the United States take on the best International players that excludes Europe. No, it’s not a boycott against Europe, the U.S. and Europe have their own biennial event that you might have heard of called the Ryder Cup.
The 2013 PGA Tour season is in the books, capped off by the FedEx Cup championship won by Henrik Stenson, thanks to a win the Tour Championship. It was a great season for golf, which saw many of the game’s best rise to the occasion.
There are several things to take away from the playing of the first FedEx Cup playoff event this past weekend at The Barclays. Obviously the first should be Adam Scott winning the event, getting his second victory of the season.
The four Major Championships for the 2013 PGA Tour season are in the books, and for the fifth-straight year none of the winners include Tiger Woods.
It’s one of the most exciting weeks of the year for golf fans, with the 2013 U.S. Open set to get underway from Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The USGA has the course ready to go, and the players are gathering on site ready to tackle the challenges that are sure to come their way all week long.
We have essentially reached the halfway point of the 2013 PGA Tour season, albeit only one Major Championship is in the books. There are still three Majors to be played, as well as the Players Championship, and the 
Ten years ago when Adam Scott won the Players Championship at the age of 23, the world was put on notice that he was the next player to rival Tiger Woods. His swing was simply too perfect for there to be any outcome otherwise. But unfortunately for Scott, there were a few things that held him back.