When discussing the Genesis Invitational, Tiger Woods immediately comes to mind. The establishment headed by the forty-eight-year-old Californian hosts the competition, which boasts a rich past that dates back to when it was referred to as the Los Angeles Open.
In 1992, at the Riviera Country Club, Tiger made his debut on the PGA Tour, although he participated as an amateur. Interestingly, he has never emerged victorious in this particular tournament. This is a destiny he shares with another iconic figure in the world of golf, Jack Nicklaus.
The subject of his return unquestionably dominates a significant portion of the popular press, but it is not the sole aspect to monitor. There are numerous other factors to consider, beginning with the absence of the reigning champion, Jon Rahm, who will not be participating for a while as he has transitioned to LIV Golf.
However, the primary focus will undoubtedly be on the ongoing rivalry between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler for the top-ranking position. For these two potential contenders of the week, there are distinct scenarios at play. If Tiger were to achieve an improbable yet captivating victory, he could potentially rise as high as 54th in the OWGR (Official World Golf Rankings).
Currently, due to his absence, he has plummeted to 893rd place. For the Northern Irish golfer, surpassing Scheffler signifies only one thing: winning, under certain conditions linked to the performance of his American counterpart.
Nevertheless, the current form favors the reigning world leader, who possesses an undeniable advantage in this regard, alongside fellow countrymen Max Homa and Collin Morikawa. The impetus for the establishment of the Official World Golf Rankings originated from the tournament committee of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
During the 1980s, they observed that their system of issuing invitations for participation in the British Open, which involved analyzing each tour individually, was resulting in the exclusion of an increasing number of high-caliber players. This was primarily due to these players dividing their commitments across multiple tours.
Furthermore, influential sports manager Mark McCormack played a pivotal role in this endeavor. He became the inaugural president of the international committee responsible for overseeing the creation of the rankings. The ranking system was developed based on McCormack’s World Golf Rankings, which were previously published in his World of Professional Golf Annual from 1968 to 1985.
These rankings were unofficial and were not utilized for purposes such as selecting players to invite to tournaments. The first official ranking was published prior to the 1986 edition of The Masters. The top six players at that time were Bernhard Langer, Severiano Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Tom Watson, Mark O’Meara, and Greg Norman.
Among them, the top three were European players, while thirty-one of the top fifty hailed from the United States. Over the years, the methodology for calculating the rankings has undergone significant changes. Initially, the rankings were computed over a three-year period, with the score from the current year multiplied by four, the previous year’s score multiplied by two, and the score from two years prior remaining unchanged.
The rankings were compiled by rounding the total score and total points to the nearest whole number. All tournaments recognized by professional tours, as well as select invitational tournaments, were categorized into various tiers, ranging from “major tournaments” (where the winner received 50 points) to “other tournaments” (where the winner was awarded a minimum of 8 points).
In each tournament, other finishers also received points proportionate to their placement, with the runner-up receiving 60% of the points awarded to the winner.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org