The Official World Rankings Seem Legit

So a long time ago, Tiger Woods took over the World Golf Ranking from Tiger Woods. It was actually June 12, 2005 when Tiger snagged the top spot in the rankings away from Vijay Singh. He has been atop this list ever since.

The rankings are made to rate the best golfers in the world. Two years ago, Tiger won the U.S. Open, and then stopped playing golf because he injured his knee and it needed surgery. He'd take off golf from June 15, 2008 to March 12, 2009, a span that Tiger kept the top ranking the entire time, although he wasn't playing. Some though it might give others a chance to overtake him, but he had accumulated enough points to keep the ranking. When he won at Bay Hill two tournaments later, he secured the number indefinitely.

Now comes a similar situation. Tiger is still the top golfer in the rankings, but hasn't had the type of year we are used to seeing from the man in red. Talk for the second half of 2010 has been about Phil Mickelson having multiple chances of becoming number one in the world for the first tim in his illustrious career. Given that Phil will most likely never win the career Grand Slam because of his struggles at the British, this honor could be the last feather in his career cap. Mickelson had a crummy second half of the season, however, and could never jump Tiger.

But Lee Westwood can now, even though he's been hurt since the Bridgestone Invitational in early August. Actually, he will jump him no matter what. Thus the power of the Official World Rankings. See, Lee could have been number one in the world if he had finished first or second at the Dunhill Links Championship this week, but he said his lingering calf issue continues to bother him (didn't say much about that last week at the Ryder Cup, *nudgenudge).

No matter, even if he doesn't start the Portugal Masters next week, an event he had penciled into his schedule, he will be number one over Woods by the end of the month.

I know the rankings are a two year process, but it seems rather ridiculous that a guy could top someone after he's been hurt for nearly three months. The guy isn't even playing and he's gaining points to swing past Woods?

The irony of it all is that Tiger would still have a ton of points from this time two years ago if it hadn't been for his injury. But, whatever ... let the best crippled golfer win.