Westwood in, Tiger out: Englishman is No. 1 - but for how long?
In golfing terms, Lee Westwood is king of the world. For the next seven days, at least.
Westwood became the world No. 1 at Tiger Wood's expense today, rising to the top despite not having played since the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship three weeks ago, where the 37-year-old finished just outside the top 10.
As triumphant ascents to the top go, it's perhaps not the most awe-inspiring of sporting success stories; the world golf rankings are calculated using a player's performance over a two year period, and Woods' points total has now diminished to a level below that of Westwood's. So with the Englishman convalescing and Woods out of competition since the Ryder Cup, Westwood has ended his chief rival's 281-week reign at the top with neither man swinging a club.
Of course, Westwood won't be massively concerned with how he comes to wear the crown - he'll just be happy to try it on for size, even if prolonged ownership is hardly guaranteed.
First and foremost, congratulations are in order. Rising to the top after a period seven years ago when the golfer admitted he felt like packing in the whole caper, Westwood tumbled from No. 4 in the world in 2000 all the way to 266th three years later, before gradually clawing his way back into serious contention over the last few years.
In toppling Tiger, Westwood becomes just the fifth European to hold the world No. 1 spot in the admittedly brief 25 year history of the rankings. He's also the first European to do so since fellow Englishman Nick Faldo, who last held the ranking in 1994.
Yet while Westwood's consistently excellent play in the last 12 months has seen him win the inaugural Race to Dubai with a fine victory at the Dubai World Championship, and finish as runner up at both the Masters and the Open this year, there are also questions about the validity of the Worksop-born player's status as the world's greatest golfer.
That seems to stem partly from the fact that Westwood is yet to win a major. He's not the only world No. 1 to have made it to the top rank without winning one however, and Westwood is still surely capable of emulating the three who arrived before him; Ian Woosnam, David Duval and Fred Couples all went on to win majors after claiming the top spot.
But critics also point to the fact that Westwood doesn't win enough. He did take victory on the PGA Tour this year, at the St Jude Classic, but that was his first win in America since 1998. More tellingly, Westwood has won just three tournaments in total in the last two years. Martin Kaymer, who could also have taken the No. 1 spot today with victory at the weekend's Andalucia Valderrama Masters, has won four times already in 2010, including a major in the PGA Championship.
The other criticism is that Westwood has taken advantage of a golfing hierarchy in disarray. Tiger Woods' poor play this year has left a vacuum that should arguably have been filled long before now. Certainly, were it not for two good finishes at the Masters and the US Open, Woods would surely have surrendered his No. 1 spot some weeks earlier.
Yet Phil Mickelson, who has had the opportunity to overtake Woods on more than 10 occasions already this season, has come up short each time. In a year that Lefty has been diagnosed with arthritis, the 40-year-old has clearly had weightier issues on his mind, but nonetheless, that failure to take advantage may haunt Mickelson, who may find it even tougher than Woods to galvanise himself; privately, the Californian is believed to be accepting that his career is winding down.
The aforementioned Kaymer may be the more pertinent long term challenger for the No. 1 spot. That's assuming Woods doesn't come back with a vengeance in the next few months, as he puts this miserable year behind him with a new coach, a new swing, and just maybe a newfound resolve to win back his place at the top.
Westwood, Mickelson, Kaymer and Woods will all be back in action this week at the WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai. With a decent showing at Sheshan, any of the latter three players could turf Westwood out of the No. 1 spot before he's even had chance to enjoy the view from the top. Bad news for Westy perhaps, though the tournament will also be a prime opportunity for the man to demonstrate he has the stomach to fight for his place.
A closely fought battle for the crown also means the season's remaining few events can offer up some additional, gratefully received zing for the viewer. Westwood has finally risen to the highest rank in the world; now he just has to prove he's worthy of holding the position.
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