Tiger Woods leaves room at top
THE longest unbroken reign in the 24-year history of the world rankings ends this Sunday.
Rubbing salt into the wounds of a year that has been a disaster on and off the course, Tiger Woods will be replaced as No1.
Either Lee Westwood will finally make it to the top, at 37, or Germany’s Martin Kaymer will pip him to it.
Following three straight European Tour victories, one of them being his first Major, Kaymer will leap from third to first in one bound with a top-two finish in the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.
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The complicated ranking system means Westwood will go above Woods even though he is not playing in Spain.
Westwood is giving his injured calf more rest before returning, alongside Woods, at the final world championship event of the season next week in Shanghai.
I’m a lot more at peace now
Woods has been at the top since June 2005, a run of 281 weeks.
But if he plays poorly in China – his first strokeplay event since September 12 – he could be overtaken by Phil Mickelson as well and find himself down in fourth place in the rankings.
He spoke optimistically last week, though, about where his game and his life are going after his divorce.
“Certainly I’m a lot more at peace now,” he said. “I learned a lot about myself. I learned how things went wrong and why they went wrong.
“There weren’t a lot of things I liked about it, but I had to do it. I did it and I’m grateful that I did.
“I come from a much better place, much more grounded place now, than I ever have before.”