Statistician responds to Butch Harmon’s criticism of world ranking system
The European Tour's director of information services Ian Barker responded today, 2 November, to Butch Harmon’s criticism of the point system involved with the world golf rankings.
Harmon, a widely respected golf coach, has been outspoken in his disapproval of the current ranking system. His main argument is that no player should be world number if they haven’t won a major. This is a direct reference Lee Westwood, who overtook Tiger
Woods as world number one on 31 October but has never won a major.
Westwood became number one when the points were re-evaluated at the end of October. Despite only playing in one event since early August, Westwood was able to gain the top spot by virtue of the two year rolling point system that determines the world rankings.
Westwood’s play was limited during that period due to a nagging calf injury.
Harmon, a former coach of Tiger Woods, did not hold back in his harsh dissention of the rankings, saying the “system sucked” and that “Kaymer should be number one."
Martin Kaymer did have the opportunity last month to take the throne at the Andalucia Masters but came up short. He is currently ranked third in the world and has been riding a streak of solid play late in the year, winning three of his last four events
entered. If the ranking had been changed to a one year rolling system instead of a two year Kaymer would be number one.
Barker clarified Tuesday that "what Butch is effectively saying is that the rankings should be done over a shorter period. “
If the rankings followed a one year rolling point system, like that in tennis, then Woods would fall out of the top-50 in the world. It is a shocking proposition that Woods, though winless this year, should go unrecognized as one of the best golfers in the
world.
This is Barker’s main defense of the present point system, saying, "If we just prepared it on the points won so far this year Woods would not be in the top-50 and Martin Kaymer would be comfortably the world number one."
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