The back-and-forth between Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth at the top of the world rankings shows no sign of slowing down with a further change possible after this week’s BMW Championship in Lake Forest, Illinois.
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The Ulsterman returned to the top spot when the latest rankings were released on Monday, the fourth week in a row that the pair have exchanged places.
McIlroy’s lead over Spieth – 0.023 average points – is the closest margin between the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 players in the history of the Official World Ranking, which dates to 1986. “I’m happy to be checking into my hotel, and when they ask what day I’m checking out, I can say, ‘I’m checking out on Sunday.’ It’s nice”. I just had two bad weeks.
Ranking points are then reduced in equal decrements for the remaining 91 weeks of the two-year time frame.
For all the talk of volatility in the points race – and The Golf Channel and NBC do their part in this by frantically updating a golfer’s standing seemingly after every shot – those already in the top 30 are in pretty good shape.
The Masters and US Open champion has made the most of extra time off following his early exit from the Deutsche Bank Championship 10 days ago and pronounced himself rejuvenated with his game “in a solid state” for Thursday’s (local time) opening round. Spieth, who uncharacteristically missed the cut in both events, is still second based on his strong play in the regular season.
Golf fans can now savour the tantalising prospect of that trio challenging for supremacy in the blue riband events for at least the next five years with McIlroy aged 26, Spieth 22 and Day 27.
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The pair will renew their rivalry later this week in the BMW Championship as they seek the riches on offer in the FedEx Cup play-offs.
