Justin Rose returns to No. 1 with win at Turkish Airlines Open

Justin Rose needed an extra hole to get the job done, but his win at the Turkish Airlines Open has him back at the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. Can he continue to hold off the challengers to his throne?

Justin Rose is in the middle of the best stretch of golf in his 20-year professional career. On Sunday, he added yet another accolade to his resume, holding off Haotong Li in a playoff to defend his title at the Turkish Airlines Open.

In doing so, Rose not only rose to third in the Race to Dubai points standings, but he also reclaimed his place at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking, unseating Brooks Koepka, who earned the honor just two weeks ago.

“It’s nice to get back there and maybe it’s even sweeter to get back there,” Rose said after the playoff, in his typically professional manner; understanding that while he’s accomplished something great, he still has other goals to attack. This wasn’t his first time at the summit, after all.

That possibility existed primarily due to the fact that Koepka is taking the week off, while the PGA TOUR’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is led by current No. 6 Bryson DeChambeau, at the time of this writing. While the almost weekly shake-ups to the world ranking aren’t particularly surprising given the quality of today’s top players, the question now is “how long can Rose hold on?”

There are a few key things to remember when you look at the Official World Golf Ranking, of course. First, it’s based on a rolling two-year cycle of results, meaning wins that might not seem “old” tend to fall off quickly. Just ask No. 13 Jordan Spieth, whose last win – the 2017 Open Championship – will fall off his world ranking record in July.

Second – and this plays in Rose’s favor perhaps as much as anybody’s – is the complicated weighting system that the OWGR employs. It’s a bit much to break down here, but basically, a player who plays in events featuring a significant number of the world’s best (rating points are given to the top 200) will make far bigger strides when they earn top finishes.

More from Pro Golf Now

Of Rose’s top 20 points-earning events throughout the course of his career, seven of them have come in 2017 and 2018. Those points are going to stay in his ranking calculation for much of the year to come, and based on his recent form, I imagine we’ll see a few more added to replace any that fall off.

Still, Rose’s competition is as tough as it’s ever been. Koepka certainly looks strong enough to maintain his claim to the top of the golf world, as do the likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, and even a resurgent Rory McIlroy. Rose, 38, is no old man by any means, but only three players (Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson and Paul Casey) inside the top 25 are older.

Rose will look to maintain his outstanding form at next week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge, and then the DP World Tour Championship before Thanksgiving. After that, it’s a long December holiday break before he returns to meaningful action, in either Hawaii or (more likely) all the way out to Torrey Pines and the Farmers Insurance Open.

Next. Jordan Spieth views new season as a fresh start. dark

Considering his almost machine-like consistency over the past couple seasons, he certainly has earned a bit of a breather. And if the formula works – as it clearly is – why change it? Look forward to more big things from Justin Rose in the months to come.

Home/Golf News