Rory McIlroy replaces Martin Kaymer at the number three spot in OWGR
For the first time in 25 years, Britons have now occupied the top three spots in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) with the figures updated on Monday, June 27. McIlroy, the record-thrashing US Open winner, rose to the number three spot without even
swinging his club, courtesy Martin Kaymer’s lackluster performance in the BMW International Open in Munich.
"We've fed off each other's success," McIlroy told Sky Sports TV. "We saw Lee get to No. 1 in the world and Luke has been very consistent for the last two years. We're working hard to beat one another and strive to be better than everyone else."
McIlroy, who has decided to take some time off from the course and recently withdrew from the French Open on the European Tour, is on a whirlwind tour of his home country Northern Ireland, and has already tipped his fans that he will not be playing any sooner
than the Open Championship in July.
The 22-year-old Irishman started off the season poised at number ten in the OWGR and steadily rose to the current spot. His opening rounds in the Masters at Augusta spoke volumes about his grasp on the sport when he went ahead to tee-off for the final round
with a four-shot lead. The young champ however, gave in to the pressure and stumbled on several bogeys to finish way down the list.
McIlroy marked another stellar performance at the Asian Tour and returned to the Congressional to post a massive victory. He kept flipping up and down the rankings with the events in the middle, both on the PGA Tour as well as the European Tour, but decided
to take a break from the Players Championship for unknown reasons.
Luke Donald is now leading the British pack right from the top and is followed by Lee Westwood with a marginal difference. Tiger Woods’ fall from the top has brought more energy and competitiveness to the sport. Such frequent changes at the very top of the
rankings were a rarity some five years back when Woods single handedly dominated the sport.
"It's a good time for me to win things when he's not playing his best," McIlroy said. "The first thing for Tiger is to get healthy and see what happens from there."
Kaymer has now dropped to number four after his fall from the top and will need serious consideration of his fast deteriorating position.
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