Tiger Woods number eight while Lucas Glover back in top 50
With the change in the Official World Golf Rankings, Tiger Woods has fallen to number eight after this week saw Lucas Glover win the Wells Fargo Championship and enter the top 50.
Woods fell in the rankings, as he took a withdrawal from the tournament, owing to a knee injury. The former world-number one sprained his left knee during the third round of the 2011 Masters.
On suggestions put forth by the doctors, Woods decided not to play until the Players Championship, which is the fifth flagship event on the Professional Golf Association tour.
During the suggested rest, Woods missed the Wells Fargo Championship, which was eventually won by Lucas Glover, who lifted his last victory in 2009. On winning the tournament, the player earned 500 FedEx points that eventually pushed him to the top 50.
During the same revision of the OWGR, Woods slipped down to number eight, which is one spot below Paul Casey. The Englishman is two points ahead of Woods, despite missing the cut and having done that, he is the latest European to overtake Woods.
Initially, it was Rory McIlroy, who finished third in the Maybank Malaysian Open. However, after the Monday-change, five Europeans sit ahead of Woods, with Lee Westwood leading the rankings.
This is the first time that six of the top seven spots have been occupied by golfers outside America. The only American sitting in the top seven is Phil Mickelson, who for a change is also ahead of Woods.
However, with Players Championship as the next battleground, chances are strong for Woods resurging back into the top five. The player has never missed a cut in the tournament, in which he has made 13 appearances.
In fact, Woods claims Tournament Player Club Sawgrass, as one of his favourite stops. The reason behind all the favouritism is his victory in 2001 and a runner-up spot twelve months before that. Moreover, it is the same course, on which Woods carded his
famous 60-feet long chip on the 17th hole.
Woods will make his 14th appearance in the tournament and if he gets lucky and manages to occupy a top-four position in it, he is certain to surge back into the top five of OWGR.
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