The Official World Golf Ranking’s formula might say that Rory McIlroy is still the No. 1 player in the world, but there’s little question as to who has been the best player on the course during the past four months.
Spain’s Jon Rahm won again on Sunday at the American Express in La Quinta, California. It was his second straight victory and fourth win in his past six worldwide starts (he tied for second at the BMW PGA Championship in September and tied for fourth at the CJ Cup at South Carolina in October). In fact, Rahm has won each of his past three worldwide starts in official events — DP World Tour Championship, Sentry Tournament of Champions and the American Express.
Somehow, Rahm’s latest victory will move him only from fourth to third in the world rankings. Rahm has expressed his frustration that under the new OWGR formula, his wins at the limited-fields Sentry Tournament of Champions and DP World Tour Championship in November don’t carry as much weight as his others.
Regardless, if Rahm keeps his torrid pace, he’s going to catch McIlroy soon.
“In my mind, I feel like I can get a lot better,” Rahm said. “I feel like that’s the mentality I should have. Again, I work very hard to do what I do. I could find mistakes in every single round I’ve played….
