Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Ben Parsons

Jon Rahm slams golf rankings system as he insists he’s “best player in the world”

Jon Rahm insists golf's contentious ranking system does not reflect his status as the 'best player in the world' after a blistering run of form.

The Spaniard is baffled by the new system's calculations after remaining rooted fifth in the rankings following his sensational victory at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

Rahm shot a stunning 10-under-par 63 to overhaul a mammoth seven-shot deficit on Collin Morikawa in the final round at the Plantation Course on Sunday.

The victory in the PGA Tour event with 'elevated status' was a third title in six outings for Rahm and marked the perfect start to 2023.

The 28-year-old finished last year by claiming victory at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and continued his red-hot streak by capitalising on Morikawa's surprise stumble to pocket a huge £2.25 million winner's cheque.

But Rahm was bewildered to learn he would not even move above Patrick Cantlay into fourth spot in the updated world rankings on Monday.

"Since the playoffs... I've won three times and I don't even get close to him. So I'm trying to understand what's going on," Rahm said.

"Had they not changed the world ranking points [system] I would have been pretty damn close [to world No 1] right now. But in my mind, I feel like since August I've been the best player in the world.

"Earlier in the year clearly Scottie (Scheffler) was that player, then Rory (McIlroy) was that player, and I feel like right now it's been me. Anybody, any given year can get a hot three, four months and get to that spot."

Rahm remained fifth in the updated rankings after his stunning victory in Hawaii (Matt York/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Rahm is clearly unimpressed with the alterations to the formula as he was left short-changed with his purple patch incredibly going unrewarded in the rankings.

The former US Open champion defied Ryder Cup teammate McIlroy last year by blasting the new system as 'laughable'.

McIlroy had defended the set-up, implemented last August, that prioritises the strength of a tournament's field and is based on the quantity of higher-ranked players at an event rather than the quality of players on show.

The limited field of 39 players at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua ultimately worked against Rahm in his hopes of making any inroads in the new rankings system.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.