Golf – Tiger Woods will drop from No. 1 this weekend
The view from the top could be coming to an end for Tiger Woods. For the PGA odds experts too, his performance was disappointing.
Martin Kaymer can end Woods’ five-year run as the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer if he can pick up a win at this weekend’s Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.
Kaymer, a 25-year-old German, can also take over top spot with a second-place finish, providing he’s tied with no more than one other player.
But no matter what, Woods will drop from No. 1 after the tournament in southern Spain wraps up Sunday.
If Kaymer doesn’t finish high enough, Lee Westwood of England will replace Woods even though both aren’t playing this week. His ranking-points average over the past two years will go above Woods’ on Monday.
Kaymer, who has won four tournaments this year, including his first major at the U.S. PGA Championship in August, insists that climbing to the top of the rankings is not a top priority.
“Of course, it is one of the goals I want to achieve in my career,” he said. “But at the moment, I am concentrating on trying to win the Race to Dubai.”
There are five events remaining on the European Tour, and Kaymer has a big lead over Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell in the money list.
McDowell, the U.S. Open champion, also is competing at Valderrama. That gives the new tournament two major champions in the field, chasing the $690,000 first prize.
