Will Tiger Woods Leave The 2014 Masters As The World Number One?

Mar 8, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Tiger Woods tees off from the 8th hole during the third round of the WGC – Cadillac Championship golf tournament at TPC Blue Monster at Trump National Doral. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Official World Golf Rankings travel in the same mystical circle as the old BCS College Football Rankings. You need a Master’s Degree in statical analysis to have any chance of understanding what the number assigned to each player means, but with all of that aside, our current number one player in the world is Tiger Woods.

One of the things we do know about the world rankings is a win, or strong finish in a major championships against a World Class field causes a huge upswing. With Tiger being out for an unspecified amount of time it is apparent that he is close to losing the number-one ranking he has had multiple times with his latest run being just over a year.

There are currently three players who, with a win, or strong finish at The Masters this week, could leave Augusta on Sunday with that number one ranking. An Article at Golf.com entitled: Scott, Stenson and Day have a shot at No. 1 at the Masters shows us what it will take for each of these players to leave Augusta as the Number One player in the world.

Mar 23, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Adam Scott walks to the fairway following his drive off the 1st tee box during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Scott: Tiger Woods currently has 9.07 points(not sure what the points mean) and Adam Scott has 8.42. The 2013 Masters Champ had an opportunity at Bay Hill to overtake Tiger, who withdrew from The Arnold Palmer Invitational for problems with his back, but let his lead slip away on Sunday afternoon. He lost a three-shot lead when his putter cooled off to Matt Every. Scott would need to finish in a two-way tie for third this week at Augusta National.

Sep 22, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Henrik Stenson hoists the Tour Championship trophy after winning it and the FedEx Cup on the 18th green at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Henrik Stenson: The 2013 FedEx Cup, and Race To Dubai Champion is currently in third place with 8.09 points. Stenson hasn’t really got it going since coming back to work after his break, but looks to be getting his game ontrack. His best finish this spring was a T5 at Bay Hill, but fell back into his slump in Houston with a T54. The only thing left for the 37 year-old Swede to accomplish is a first major victory. For Henrik Stenson to get to number one at Augusta he would need would need at least a two-way tie for second at the Masters to become the first Swedish player at No. 1 in the world.

Feb 23, 2014; Marana, AZ, USA; Jason Day poses with the Walter Hagen Trophy after winning the final round of the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Day: Jason Day currently has 6.96 points, but before the injury with his thumb, was by far playing the best of all three golfers. He was on a tear after winning the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf with Adam Scott, and The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain. His road to number one is a little more difficult this week as he would need to win on Sunday at Augusta if he is to leave with the number one ranking.

Source: Golf.com