Not playing turned out to be a pretty sweet deal for Bubba Watson last week, as the American moved up to No. 3 in the world, bypassing Henrik Stenson.
Stenson was also idle, having not played since May 17. The Swede has struggled lately, at least from what you expect of a player who won both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai title in 2013.
His last four results are 19th at The Masters, 34th at the WGC-Match Play, which means eliminated in the second round; 17th at The Players Championship, and 58th at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Prior to that, he had a stretch of four straight top 4 finishes at PGA events. Meanwhile, he’s been a ghost on the European Tour, not playing in an event outside the Middle East, and not playing at all since the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on February 1.
With Jordan Spieth locked in at No. 2, it’s the first time two Americans have been ranked in the top 3 since October 26, 2013, when Tiger Woods was No. 1 and Phil Mickelson No. 2.
Rory McIlroy, despite missing the cut at the Irish Open, is No. 1 for the 44th week in a row and 83rd of his career. The 44 straight weeks ties him with Nick Price (1994-1995) for the 10th-longest streak atop the charts.
Byron Nelson winner Steven Bowditch rose from 127th to 65th with his victory, while Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen jumped from 303rd to 10th for winning the Irish Open.
And yes, our morbid Woods’ watch continues. Idle once again – although he’s playing The Memorial this week! – the Artist Formerly Known as Eldrick took a 26-spot nose dive from 156th to 172nd, meaning he’s fallen 140 spots since the end of 2014.
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