Tiger Woods Will Lose #1 Spot next week, for how far will he dropg

The Game Room
1

To either Lee Westwood or Martin Kaymer.

There are no IF’s AND’s or BUT’s about it.

Lee Westwood is guaranteed to pass Tiger in the Golf Rankings when the rankings are released a week from today. Martin Kaymer is playing in Spain this week and he could overtake both Westy and Tiger if he finishes high enough.

Why is Westwood passing Tiger now, when both Westy and Tiger are both inactive. Simple answer, it is the math involved, Both players are essentially “coasting” and Tiger is coasting slower than Westwood but Tiger had a huge lead when they started to coast. I can explain it further if someone asks.

But it will be a clash of the titans next week in China. Tiger, Westwood, and Martin Kaymer are all scheduled to play in one of 12 biggest tournaments of the year. Along with Phil Mickelson, anyone of the four players can emerge from the HSBC Champions Tournament in China in the #1 spot (or #2, #3, #4) spots.

Actually #5 Steve Stricker and #6 Jim Furyk could have also got the number 1 spot, but they are not making the trip to China.

If Tiger does regain the #1 in the rankings, there is a good chance that he will not hold onto for very long. The same formulas that has kept him atop the rankings for the last 6 months will be dragging him down in 2011. And Westwood and Kaymer will also be playing a the European Tour Championship which will be highly valued by the ranking system.

Tiger is playing a very weak-field event in Australia after the China tournament and the small field Chevron Challenge in Los Angeles after Thanksgiving. Winning either of those tournaments are other opportunities for him to regain #1.

Even if Tiger does regain the #1 spot in the next six weeks, I don’t think he will keep it very long. If the rankings were a one year system, rather than the two year system, he would be around #25 right now. He has to turn his game around to even remain in the top 10, let alone be in the top spot.

2

It’s fine by me if Tiger loses the #1 spot, but it’s hard for me to see how Westwood deserves it.

Mind you, I’m not sure who DOES deserve it. All I’m sure of is that the current ranking system is crewed up.

3

Martin Kaymer probably deserves it more than anyone. He has won 4 tournaments this year, including his last three tournaments (one of which is a major).

Kaymer’s problem is the same thing that is keeping Woods atop of the rankings. 2009 Results.

If the last 12 months were the criteria, Kaymer would have a huge lead, over Westwood.

Why is Westwood in the mix? Mainly consistency. he has two wins in the last 12 months, and two solo seconds in the majors.

Golfweek magazine has their own independent rankings, which values consistency far more than wins. Westwood has been atop of those rankings for quite awhile.

And I do agree that the rating period is 12 months too long.

I wouldn’t want to bet for or against any of the four (Woods, Westy, Kaymer, Mickelson) in the next two weeks, but my money would be on Kaymer to be the #1 player going into the Masters.

4

The door has been opened for Phil several times and he choked his way out of it. He sat in a good spot after 2 rounds and blew up.

5

True enough, but Westwood and and Stricker have failed in several attempts to get the number one spot. And no one pans them for that.

And Westwood is going to pass Woods basically by being idle, coasting a little faster than Woods is coasting. I haven’t run the numbers, but I suspect if Mickelson had “rode the bench” for the last two and half months like Westwood has, he would be the number 1 player right now.

I wonder how important the #1 ranking is to the players. Furyk and Stricker would have a chance to be #1, if they played and won in China. But they can’t win the tournament if they do not enter the tournament. they are taking some well deserved off time, and I don’t blame them. But it is interesting, that they have an opportunity (for Furyk the first chance he has ever got) and he is going to be sitting in front of his TV watching his beloved Steelers.

6

It was very important for Duval. Woods took it away and he never got it back.

7

Tiger Woods is going to lose his #1 spot. I’m suprised it took so long.

However, he’ll get it back and barring a serious injury, he’ll finish his career with 19-22 majors.