With the year 2023 coming to an end the World Golf Ranking shows its final standings - McIlroy finishes second. (Photo: Getty)
In the latest update of the World Golf Ranking, prominent British, Scottish, and Welsh players maintain significant positions. With the Christmas break and the upcoming New Year, this year’s World Golf Ranking also comes to an end. The UK pros head into the winter break without any noticeable changes.
Rory McIlroy finishes second – Four UK stars in the Top 15
The year ends with four UK players in the Top 15 of the World Golf Ranking. While Rory McIlroy secures an impressive second place, Matt Fitzpatrick overwinters in eighth place. The other two players are outside the top ten. Tyrrell Hatton ends the year in 12th place, Tommy Fleetwood in 14th.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, ranking at 57, together with England’s Justin Rose and Aaron Rai at ranks 37 and 65 respectively, round out the esteemed group of UK golf professionals in the World Golf Ranking.
The Top Ten of the World Golf Ranking at the end of the year
Focusing on the pinnacle of the World Golf Ranking, the top three positions are held by Scottie Scheffler from the USA, Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland, and Jon Rahm from Spain, all maintaining their standings from the previous week, with Scheffler clinching the top spot. In the World Golf Ranking, ranks 4 through 10 reflect a continuation of status for golfers Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Brian Harman, and Wyndham Clark. This overview of the World Golf Ranking not only highlights the steadfast dominance of specific athletes but also showcases the dynamic nature of professional golf where even slight changes can be indicative of emerging trends and potential shifts in the competitive landscape.
Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace share the 2nd place at the DP World Tour Championship. (Photo: Getty)
As the DP World Tour played its final tournament in Dubai many UK players were in action once again. Especially Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace make their mark and climb in the World Golf Ranking.
Examining the Shifts in the World Golf Ranking: Top UK Players make their mark
Focus falls on Britain, Wales, and Scotland’s leading golfers: Rory McIlory, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, and Justin Rose. McIlory and Fitzpatrick maintain the 2nd and 8th positions respectively with the Northern Irish golfer painting an especially consistent streak atop the World Golf Ranking. Tyrrell Hatton, on the other hand, stays steady in the 12th position.
As Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace both tied for second place at the DP World Tour Championship, both players climb the ranking. While Fleetwood jumps from 15th to 13th and heads for the Top 10, Wallace climbs from 87th to 68th.
Scandinavian tournament winners Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard climb the rankings
Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace both were beaten in the DP World Tour Championship by the Danish youngster Nicolai Hojgaard, who moves up 20 ranks from 70th to claim a spot in the Top 50.
The PGA Tour title went to Swedish Ryder-Cup-Star Ludvig Aberg, who climbs from 53rd to 32nd.
World Golf Ranking: Top Three Standing Firm
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm continue to dominate the top three spots in the World Golf Ranking, respectively. Their sustained performances keep them firmly planted within the top three ranks.
In the Top 10 there are no changes. Matt Fitzpatrick holds his place at 8th, reflecting consistency amongst the top British players in the World Golf Ranking. Meanwhile, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark, both from the USA, continue to hold their 9th and 10th positions, respectively, rounding off the top ten players of golf in the week of this updated World Golf Ranking.
As we continue to follow the ever-changing patterns of the World Golf Ranking, it becomes clear that the golfing world is a dynamic platform for global athletes to showcase their skills. The constant shifts in the top and middle tiers of the ranking demonstrate the fierce competition and the ever-changing dynamic of golf prototypes worldwide. It’s a testament to the malleability and diversity of professional golf and its players – trends that keep the audience coming back week after week, making golf an exciting sport to follow. For now, we watch, wait, and witness as the golfing world continues to spin on its competitive axis, every swing, every putt, and every victory offering a chance for a new headline within the World Golf Ranking.
No changes in the World Golf Ranking's top positions. Fleetwood stays at 15th. (Photo: Getty)
Scottie Scheffler retains his unrivaled position on the World Golf Ranking, securing the top slot for another week. From Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy follows in the 2nd place. This duo is leading the World Golf Ranking with remarkable consistency.
Following the lead of Rory McIlroy one more UK player is part of the Top 10 in the World Golf Ranking. Standing strong at the 7th place, Matt Fitzpatrick from England shows consistency. Further, Tyrrell Hatton, also hailing from England, assumes the 13th position, while Tommy Fleetwood secures his place at 15th in the ranking, rounding up the representation from the country within the top echelons of this global listing.
World Golf Ranking Unveils its Top Ten
We shift the focus to the rest of the top 10 in the World Golf Ranking. Following Jon Rahm from Spain at the 3rd place, Viktor Hovland from Norway at number 4 gives way to a series of strong US golfers, from Patrick Cantlay at the 5th rank, followed by Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Brian Harman, and Wyndham Clark rounded up to the top 10 of the ranking, raising the banner up high for American golf in the leaderboard.
This comprehensive review of the latest World Golf Ranking proves the dynamic nature of the sport, open to promising shifts in the positioning of these gifted players on the global golf scene. Though the statistics may change, the commitment to excellence and competitive spirit these players showcase, remains a constant.
Tommy Fleetwood at the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)
Tommy Fleetwood once again proves to be a chipping master. In the singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup, the Englishman turned the match against Rickie Fowler, which had been tied until then, into a lead for Europe on hole 9. He holed out of the bunker on the par 4 for a birdie and won the hole.
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood at the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood kept the momentum going and completed the European clean sweep in the Friday Foursomes at the 2023 Ryder Cup. The finished their match against Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay 2&1, after the Americans gave them a fight on the final holes.
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood at the Ryder Cup 2023
Q.Rory, you’ve just beaten a pair that were previously 5-0 in foursomes play to complete a clean sweep for Europe. How special is this moment?
RORY McILROY: It’s been an unbelievable session. We switched the format this year to go foursomes first because statistically that’s our better session. And all week, all we’ve been talking about is getting off to fast starts. Playing three-hole matches in practise, three holes, go again, three holes, go again, something that Luke’s drilled into us. We were ready to go from the first tee shot as obviously as you can see in how everyone played.
I’m so proud of this man alongside me. He can play with anyone. I’m just so happy that he’s my partner this week and so happy to get a point on the board for Europe.
Q.There are always turning points and you’re playing 15, looked like you were going to lose it. You turned it into a victory. The adrenaline rush when the putt went in?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Waiting for a moment like that all today to be honest. Especially the start of the back nine where we were playing so well, I felt like I had two or three chances that I let go by. So I kept them in it, really. You’re not going to hole more unless you have a really good day.
Was due one. Felt really good over it. It’s just one of those Ryder Cup moments, really, and that’s what we’re playing for. It’s really cool. Rory is an unbelievable golfer.
Q.Talk us through that shot, the match was very tense, 1 up, two holes to play. Magnificent shot you hit. Tell us about your point of view?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, if anything, my poor shot recently has been a right shot. So I kept it simple: Keep a strong clubface going back, and fully release it on the way through, aim at the target and it never left the flag.
Q.That was the closest of four, you just pulled out the fourth straight blue point. You spoke about how determined you are to play differently and perform differently as a team as you did at Whistling Straits. How satisfying is this morning’s performance?
RORY McILROY: Amazing to sweep a session. I can’t remember the last time Europe has done that. We can’t get complacent at all. This is an unbelievably long American Team. Last week the American girls went up 4-0 in the first session there and Europe were able to come back, so we are not taking anything for granted here. It’s a great start but we need to keep our foot on the pedal and keep winning points.
Q.You’re undefeated in foursomes the in the Ryder Cup. How does Fleetwood Mac compare to Mollywood?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Just keep picking your partners, that’s the secret. Obviously playing with Rory is a dream for anybody, and I was the one that got to do that this morning.
Yeah, we’ve known we are going to play together for a while and just getting out there, felt like we actually played very, very good and felt like we were in control all the way. Obviously there are turning points and we needed one towards the end but yeah, just pleased to play with another great partner.
Q.Xander and Patrick were doing everything they could to get a halve, how clutch was your response on the tee at 17?
RORY McILROY: I have hit a lot of good shots in my time. That’s right up there. I didn’t know how close Patrick had hit his but I just wanted to give Tommy a chance to at least stay 1 UP going down the last. I was pretty certain we weren’t going to go down the last, but if I keep hitting iron shots like that, then I’m going to have a pretty good week.
Tommy Fleetwood will compete for the third time at the Ryder Cup 2023. (Source: Getty)
The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. The American team was already on a reconnaissance tour in Rome at the beginning of September and the Europeans also took a close look at the venue before the Ryder Cup 2023. One of the more experienced players of the Europeans is definitely Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman will be playing his third Ryder Cup in Rome. He is probably particularly remembered for his phenomenal performance at the European victory in 2018, when he won every match together with Francesco Molinari.
Tommy Fleetwood at the 2023 Ryder Cup
Although the six-time DP World Tour winner narrowly missed out on automatic qualification after being overtaken by Matt Fitzpatrick in the final qualifying event of the season, he enters the Ryder Cup in excellent form. After closing the 2022 season with a win at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and a shared fifth-place finish at the DP World Tour Championship, Fleetwood has maintained his form into the early part of 2023 and has been consistently in the top positions on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour leaderboards. In recent months in particular, he has shined with six top-ten finishes in his last eight global starts, including a shared fifth-place finish at the US Open, a shared sixth-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, a shared tenth-place finish at the 151st British Open at Royal Liverpool and a shared tenth-place finish at the Tour Championship.
In his very first Ryder Cup appearance, Tommy Fleetwood became one of the mainstays of Team Europe and, along with his partner Francesco Molinari, played a key role in helping the Europeans claim victory at Le Golf National. Fleetwood and Molinari earned four wins from four matches. The duo dominated the headlines on and off the golf course, earning them the nickname “Moliwood.”
The last edition of the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits undoubtedly presented the players with a special challenge. The fact that there were hardly any European fans on the course due to travel restrictions resulted in an extremely pro-American crowd. It was a completely different atmosphere from Fleetwood’s first appearance in France. Since that experience, the Englishman has found it undeniable that the crowd can literally take a team on its shoulders and carry it to victory – at the Ryder Cup more than at any other tournament.
A look inside Tommy Fleetwood’s bag at the Ryder Cup
Tommy Fleetwood has been a regular member of the TaylorMade team for years. The Englishman’s bag contains the latest woods from the TaylorMade Stealth 2 Series. As a driver, he chooses the Plus version with adjustable weights for a flexibly selectable draw or fade tendency from the tee. The fairway wood also comes from the Stealth 2 Series, offering him a flexible solution from the fairway with good ground contact and forgiving characteristics. The choice of his 3-wood is unusual. Here Fleetwood reaches for TaylorMade’s BRNR Mini Driver with a larger face and more control of the ball flight compared to the usual long wood.
The proven Ryder Cup player gets his irons from TaylorMade‘s P7TW series. The 2019 Tiger Woods irons were developed together with the golf legend and feature tungsten weights just behind the sweet spot. A good ball feel and individual adjustments depending on the iron provide more control and feel at impact, that’s how TaylorMade describes it. Fleetwood also seems convinced and gets the Players irons from the 3 iron to the pitching wedge in his bag. When it comes to wedges, however, he doesn’t rely on TaylorMade, but instead picks up the Titleist Vokey WedgeWork prototypes in 52- and 60-degree inclinations. Different sole grinds allow Fleetwood to use the irons flexibly and use creative stroke variations in the short game.
The putter at the Ryder Cup will also come from Odyssey, namely in the White Hot Pro Number 3 version. The narrow blade putter has been accompanying Fleetwood on the greens of the Tour for quite a while now, and with success. The TaylorMade TP5x completes his equipment. Here, Fleetwood doesn’t use the classic white version, but plays the colorfully printed Pix ball of the strong-feeling 5-piece golf ball.
Luke Donald is the captain of Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)
European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald has announced 18 players, including an exciting mix of Ryder Cup stars, Major Champions and the most promising young players in world golf, to make up the Continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland teams for next year’s Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi from January 13-15.
In consultation with the respective Hero Cup Captains Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari, who will both compete as playing Captains, Donald confirmed the teams for next year’s match play contest at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, with one remaining position for each team to be allocated at the conclusion of the DP World Tour calendar year.
Match Play Tournament on the DP World Tour
Donald and Molinari have constructed a strong mix of proven winners with Sweden’s Alex Noren and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters bringing Ryder Cup experience to the Continental Europe ranks one week before the Belgian defends his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title at Yas Links.
Molinari’s team will be completed by a host of exciting young players including Austrian Sepp Straka, who won his maiden PGA TOUR title at The Honda Classic in 2022, three-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus Højgaard, two-time winner Victor Perez and Adrian Meronk, who became the first Polish player to win on the DP World Tour when he claimed the 2022 Horizon Irish Open.
Belgium’s Thomas Detry has also enjoyed a strong start to his rookie PGA TOUR season finishing in the top-12 in three of the five events played – including second place in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship – and has six top-15 finishes on the DP World Tour. He is joined by three-time DP World Tour winner Guido Migliozzi, who claimed the biggest victory of his career in September at the Cazoo Open de France.
The Great Britain and Ireland team, led by two-time Ryder Cup player Fleetwood, boasts 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry and four-time Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton amongst its ranks.
They will be joined by a stream of Ryder Cup hopefuls including Irishman Séamus Power, who has enjoyed a stunning start to the 2023 PGA TOUR season and currently leads the FedEx Cup Standings, and DP World Tour winners Ewen Ferguson, Robert MacIntyre, Callum Shinkwin, Jordan Smith and Matt Wallace.
Luke Donald wants to “combine experience and youthfulness”
Donald, the 2023 European Ryder Cup Captain, said: “Having worked closely with Tommy and Fran on building the two teams, I’m delighted with the mix of players who will be on show at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in January.
“We all thought it was important to combine experience and youthfulness and I think we have found that balance with a mixture of Major Champions and Ryder Cup players, alongside guys who are hoping to secure a spot in Rome next year.”
Prep at the highest level
Molinari, the Continental Europe Captain and 2018 Open Champion, said: “Our team is packed full of exciting players who all have the attributes to excel in a match play contest and I’m excited to lead them into the Hero Cup next year.
“Some of our younger players have already shown incredible maturity in high-pressured situations and proved they can perform in big moments, so giving them the opportunity to compete on this stage alongside the likes of Alex Noren and Thomas Pieters will be really important at the beginning of what could be a big year for them.”
Fleetwood leads the island Europeans
Fleetwood, who combined with Molinari to collect four points from four matches at the 2018 Ryder Cup in France, said: “I am really pleased with the players who will form the Great Britain and Ireland team next year.
“Having the experience of Shane and Tyrrell will be invaluable for the rest of the team in a match play environment but I think we are really strong throughout the team. We have proven winners in some of the biggest DP World Tour events and it will be great to have Séámus with us following his excellent start to the season in America.”
Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said: “We are delighted to see the best of emerging talent from Europe together with established Major Champions and Ryder Cup stars at the upcoming Hero Cup in January. It is going to be a fantastic week of top class golf and a keen tussle on the course between these two strong teams.”
Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland are hitting the DP World Tour school bag. (Photo: Twitter/ DP World Tour
Last weekend was a throwback to school for Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland at the DP World Tour. The two golf stars competed against each other in a quiz. They were not left alone in the face of danger. Two junior golfers supported these two top DP World Tour players, helping them in this “child’s play” quiz.
What colour is a giraffe’s tongue?
The questions in this somewhat different quiz could be thematically classified as general knowledge. But do the golfers really know which is the longest river in the world? Or how many years ago did the dinosaurs become extinct? Good thing Fleetwood and Hovland counted with the two junior golfers Maya and Daniel to help them get through the exam.
The final challenge was not about general knowledge, but rather about something in what the two golfers are experts at, a putting contest. For the points they had previously earned, they had to move ten feet (3 metres) closer to the flag for each point. In this way, a 30-metre putt can be quizzed into a feasible chance of winning for the better team.
Full video of the DP World Tour and HSBC challenge
Collin Morikawa is excited for start of the DP World Tour Season 2022 (Photo: Getty Images)
Morikawa’s first time at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Collin Morikawa makes his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship debut at the opening Rolex Series event of the 2022 DP World Tour season this week, the American hoping to begin this campaign as he ended the last – with victory.
The 24-year-old’s maiden Rolex Series win at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in November meant he became the first American to top the Tour’s Rankings.
As Morikawa returns to the Desert this week, the reigning Open Champion will be hoping to use his experience of links courses to master the coastal Yas Links Abu Dhabi – which hosts the prestigious event for the first time.
Two-time Abu Dhabi HSBC Champion Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, is relishing the challenge of a new venue and the Englishman will be hoping to return to winning ways at a tournament he loves, his last victory having come at the 2019 Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Morikawa is looking forward to the start of the DP World Tour 2022
Collin Morikawa: “Feels great (to be back on the DP World Tour). You know, I’ve been announced for a handful of months now as the Champion Golfer of the Year, but this is the first time someone brought that up of being the reigning Race to Dubai Champion, and there’s a lot of weight that’s on your shoulders right now.
“It’s a great weight to have and I want to come back as strong as ever. I want to start these first two weeks off on a real high note and hopefully come out with a couple trophies.
“There’s a lot that’s been going on, I’d say even since I’ve turned pro. It’s a very unusual two and a half years in professional golf, obviously with covid and a lot of other things in the world. “It’s just embracing being in the present, I think that’s the biggest thing, how do I enjoy the time wherever I am in the world, be with family, friends, whoever it maybe, and it’s just really fun. Just travelling to these place and meeting people.
“It’s a very good golf course. Coming from Kapalua where the fairways are about a hundred yards wide, this looks pretty narrow.”I think the conditions are going to prove tough. We’re going to have a lot of wind this week, a lot of different winds from what we are seeing on Monday and Tuesday compared to what the tournament is going to be. A lot of slopes in these greens, a lot of undulations and a lot of run-offs.”
Two-times champion Tommy Fleetwood: ready for the new venue
Tommy Fleetwood: “It’s going to be a completely different test. I think I’ve played this course once, maybe twice. But being honest, it was a friendly round, I remember very little about it.”The course is a different test. But I think you obviously draw on the fact I’ve had success in the area. First event of the year that it’s been for the last few years, and you never quite know what to expect. I always feel very aware that I haven’t played a tournament for a while and you feel rusty. “I think once you get going and once you get into, you start to pick up things about your game and you feel a lot more in the flow of things. I just need to draw on all the good experiences I’ve had in this event, and take the next two days to learn about the course and start again.
“It’s got a lot of great players playing. I’ve been saying it for a while, no matter where you play now, the standard of golf now is so high, the margin for error is so small, and no matter where you are you’re not going to get away with playing mediocre, really. You have to turn up and give it some form of your best or highest level to compete with everyone out here. “So there’s not really any sort of easy weeks off time off, if you like. But that’s great. It’s great for the sport and it’s great for this event to have so many great players here, and I’m always excited to come back. I love playing over here. I love golf over here. I love how popular it is.”But I’ve had success here, so there’s a lot of good things going for me and for this week, and I’m just excited to get going.”
Collin Morikawa will start at the Dubai Desert Classic on DP World Tour in late January. (Photo: Getty Images)
World Number Two and reigning Open champion Collin Morikawa and four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy are among the world’s best who will join defending champion Paul Casey as a new era begins at Emirates Golf Club from January 27-30.
World Number Six Viktor Hovland became the first Norwegian to play in the Ryder Cup last year. He will make his second appearance at the event, alongside teammates Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Bernd Wiesberger, as well as their Captain, three-time Major winner Pádraig Harrington.
The 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry, who also made his Ryder Cup debut at Whistling Straits, will join Europe’s all-time leading points scorer and fellow Major winner Sergio Garcia in the field, with the Spaniard aiming to lift the famous Dallah trophy for the second time.
Danny Willett is seeking to achieve the same feat, with the Englishman setting the precedent for Garcia by winning at the Emirates Golf Club just months before securing the Green Jacket.
Rory McIlroy at the Dubai Desert Classic (Photo: Getty Images)
Anniversary for Adam Scott
It promises to be a memorable anniversary for another former winner at Augusta National, with the 2013 Masters Tournament champion Adam Scott returning to the event exactly 20 years after his last appearance in 2002. Meanwhile it will be a 13th appearance for the 2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell.
Slync.io, the logistics technology provider that is revolutionising the way global supply chains work, is the new title sponsor of the Dubai Desert Classic, an event which boasts a glittering list of former winners.
Amongst those once again teeing it up this month are 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson, victorious European Ryder Cup Captains Thomas Bjørn and Colin Montgomerie, Spanish Ryder Cup stars Rafa Cabrera Bello and Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher – the only player to have lifted the trophy in consecutive seasons. With two-time DP World Tour winners Lucas Herbert and Li Haotong also in the field, 10 of the 13 winners in the past 15 years will appear.
The Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic will also provide a unique opportunity for one up-and-coming star, with Texan Sam Bennett claiming a sponsor exemption as the top-ranked player in the PGA TOUR University Velocity Global Ranking.
Viktor Hovland will make his second appearance. (Photo: Getty Images)
Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director, Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, said: “This year’s Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic has attracted some of the world’s best golfers, and we look forward to welcoming a world-class international field for a truly memorable edition of the event. With free entry for spectators this year, a first for the tournament, there is sure to be an incredible atmosphere befitting the elevated status of a Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour.”
The Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic 2022 will be the second of back-to-back Rolex Series events in the Middle East in January, with the tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai also part of the European Tour’s traditional ‘Desert Swing’ which annually attract the sport’s leading players.
Tournament’s 33rd edition
Celebrating its 33rd edition in 2022, the iconic tournament has been won by some of golf’s greatest names, including Major Champions Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazábal, Mark O’Meara, Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau.
The winners’ circle over the past 32 years has also featured Ryder Cup stars such as Mark James, the inaugural champion in 1989. The tournament is now set for an even brighter future with the support of Slync.io.
This year’s event offers plenty to interest spectators both on and off the course. Tournament Town will provide a wide range of family- friendly entertainment in addition to food trucks from some of the city’s popular brands including Shawarma Station, Aballi Arabic Concept, Wok Boyz, Koshari, Choma BBQ, Burro Blanco and more.
Other initiatives include ‘Pink Saturday’, where players, caddies and fans are encouraged to dress in pink to raise awareness about breast cancer in the UAE and beyond, and ‘Sustainability Sunday’, a day dedicated to bringing the tournament’s many green and sustainable initiatives into focus.
