World ranking update: Jim Furyk back in top 5
Jim Furyk surged back into the top five of the Official World Golf Ranking with his nail-biting victory at the RBC Heritage.
It was a 17th PGA Tour win for the 44-year-old but his first since 2010.
Furyk moves up from 10th to 5th but the fact he had remained in the top-10, despite a four and-and-a-half year victory drought, shows the consistency of the American Ryder Cup star.
The only other mover in the world’s top 20 was Matt Kuchar who couldn’t defend his RBC title but over up from 17th to 14th with his fifth place finish.
Louis Oosthuizen continues his climb back up the rankings after struggling with injury over the past 18 months.
The South African recorded a T7 finish at the RBC Heritage and is up to 32nd in the ranking after being 45th at the turn of the year.
Branden Grace cemented his place in the top 50, now up to 39th, by joining his compatriot Oosthuizen in seventh place at Harbour Town Links. Grace was 82nd at the end of 2014.
Brandt Snedeker is another who continues to move in the right direction reaching 36th in the world ranking after starting the year in 58th.
There’s plenty at stake in this week’s Volvo China Open on the European Tour and the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans" The biggest mover of the weekend was Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat who clinched his second European Tour win at the Shenzhen International.
It has been a steady rise up the ranking for Aphibarnrat who now finds himself in 78th, up from 116th last week and 134th at the start of the year.
The race is now on to secure a place in the world’s top 64 in time for the WGC-Cadilac Match Play in two weeks time.
European’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, Francesco Molinari, Mikko Ilonen and Thomas Bjorn currently occupy the four spaces just outside the top 64.
So there’s plenty at stake in this week’s Volvo China Open on the European Tour and the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
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James Savage
Former equipment editor of NCG. Inconsistent ball-striker and tea-maker.
