Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler could overtake Rory McIlroy for world No. 1

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – No. 2 Scottie Scheffler and No. 3 Jon Rahm could return to the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at this week’s WM Phoenix Open, depending on how they play relative to the performance of No. 1 Rory McIlroy.

With the tournament in its first year as a designated event, TPC Scottsdale is loaded with stars, featuring 18 of the top 20 players in the world. And it’s a pitched battle for the top spot.

According to OWGR projections, Scheffler, who is 1 under par through 11 holes of the frost-delayed first round, could retake No. 1 by winning if McIlroy (first-round 73) finishes worse than solo third – or by finishing second alone with McIlroy finishing worse than 36th alone, provided Rahm doesn’t win.

Scottsdale resident Rahm, who won the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express last month to stake a claim as the hottest player in the world, could retake No. 1 by winning if McIlroy finishes worse than a three-way tie for second, or by finishing solo second at the same time that McIlroy finishes worse than 47th alone – provided Scheffler doesn’t win.

All three players have a strong argument as the world’s best player.

McIlroy has won in his last two PGA TOUR starts, both last fall, at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina and the TOUR Championship – the latter victory netting him his unprecedented third FedExCup. He also won on the DP World Tour in Dubai last month, the first time he’s opened a calendar year with a victory. Asked before the start of the WM Phoenix Open if he felt like the best player in the world, McIlroy said yes, but he struggled in the first round Thursday, hitting just four fairways in tricky winds at TPC Scottsdale.

Rahm has victories in two of his last three TOUR starts, ended 2022 with two victories on the DP World Tour, and has finished T16 or better in all seven starts at the WM Phoenix Open.

Scheffler is the defending champion here and was PGA TOUR Player of the Year last season, when he won four times in six starts, including the Masters Tournament.

“Right now, I'm ranked No. 2, but I would say I'm not playing the second-best golf in the world,” Scheffler said. “I think Rory and Jon are pretty much neck-and-neck for playing the best golf in the world right now, so the rankings are funny. It's just an algorithm … but I don't like being No. 2. I'd rather be No. 1.”