The golfing stratosphere is always evolving thanks to the many tournaments that take place all through the year in different parts of the world. This implies that the top-rated players also change pretty much often, depending on a number of factors.
This article examines the top five players in golf at the moment, according to the official GPA world rankings. Knowing who the best players are is good whether you’re an aspiring golf player or simply just a fan of the sport.
So without further ado, this is what the current top five looks like.
5 Jon Rahm
Born in Spain, but an Arizona State University alumnus, Rahm finished college in 2016 and became a pro shortly after. Before turning pro, Rahm topped the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 60 weeks, a record he still holds to this day.
He became the first Spanish player to win the U.S open in 2021, and has also collected nine PGA and European Tour wins each.
The former World Number one did not have the best of years, and is at risk of dropping out of the top five in 2023 if he doesn’t step up his game. Hopefully, 2022 was a one-off and we’ll see the 28-year old back to his best again this year.
4 Patrick Cantlay
Greatness was always written in the stars for Cantlay who was spectacular during his amateur days. He topped the World Amateur Golf Rankings for a whopping 55 weeks before turning pro in 2012.
Winning a PGA Tour is no mean feat, yet the 30-year old veteran already has eight to his name. Yes, the absence of a Majors win has left a big dent on his status, Cantlay still has a lot of years left in him to redeem one or more titles.
Cantlay ranked No. 1 for birdie average, green in regulation, and sand save percentage in 2022. Plus he’s also top five in driving accuracy, scoring average, and driving distance. Watch out for him this year!
3 Cameron Smith
If you’re a big golf fan that loves being entertained, Smith’s game will certainly get you excited. The Australian topped the world rankings for birdie average, and was No. 2 in scoring average last year.
Only 29 years old, he turned pro in 2013, and has won 10 professional championships thus far. He won the 2022 Open Championship, the first major of his young career, and earned about $10 million last year alone.
Smith still needs to improve on certain aspects of his game, like driving accuracy, but he’s certainly on his way to becoming an elite golfer; that’s if you’re yet to consider him one.
2 Scottie Scheffler
The 26-year old has continued to put the world on notice since he turned pro in 2008. His trajectory to the top has been nothing short of a joy to watch.
2022 was great for Scheffler as he started off the year by winning the Masters, his first Major Championship. He also finished T2 in the 2022 U.S Open, just one stroke shy of tying eventual winner Matt Fitzpatrick.
Scheffler topped the World rankings from March up until he was dethroned by Mcllory in October, and was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year, also his first win.
Although he didn’t have his best year in terms of key performance metrics, he managed to still stay afloat when it came to scoring. The future is bright for this kid, that’s for sure!
1 Rory McIlroy
It was so beautiful to watch Mcllory’s emotional speech after he won the CJ Cup and reclaimed the World No. 1 spot in October. This was the first time he topped the rankings since July of 2020, and it was, no doubt, well deserved
Mcllory has played professional golf for more than a decade and a half, and has consistently delivered on the big stage. The 33-year old veteran has racked up close to $70 million in career earnings, which is quite impressive considering his relatively young age.
Last year might not have been the best campaign for McIlroy, at least based on his standards, but he’s still sitting firmly on top of the golf rankings by quite some margin. He finished the year as No. 1 in driving distance and was top three in holes per eagle, scoring average, and overall earnings.
The Northern Ireland native has spent over 100 weeks as the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. He already won four majors by the age of 25, a feat only achieved by two other legends; Jack Niklaus and Tiger Woods. McIlroy finished second in the 2022 Masters, and sits atop the golf odds table as the favourite to win it this year. The Masters is the only major tournament that has eluded his illustrious career.