Smith reaches No 2 world ranking after Open triumph

Australian Cameron Smith leapt five spots to No 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking, a career best, as a result of winning The Open Championship on Sunday.

Smith beat out Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy to win the Claret Jug at St Andrews in Scotland.

Coincidentally, it was McIlroy whom Smith unseated from the No 2 spot by winning his first major title. McIlroy, the star from Northern Ireland, only dropped by one position, winding up No 3 in the new week's rankings.

Scottie Scheffler was in no danger of losing his hold on No 1 after rocketing his way up the board this spring with four victories, including at the Masters. He remained No 1 after tying for 21st at The Open.

Patrick Cantlay remained No 4, while Spain's Jon Rahm slipped two spots to fifth and Xander Schauffele stepped back one spot to sixth.

Smith fired an 8-under-par 64 on Sunday – his second 64 of the week – to storm past McIlroy and notch a final score of 20-under 268 at the 150th playing of The Open.

Smith's previous career high in the OWGR was No 3 earlier this year after he tied for 13th at the PGA Championship. He vaulted into the top 10 for the first time in March when he won The Players Championship, which awards 80 rankings points to its winner – the most of any event outside the four majors.

The Aussie is now the fourth different player to hold the No 2 ranking since Scheffler first rose to No 1 in late March. Rahm, Collin Morikawa and McIlroy also spent time in the second spot.

Young, a PGA Tour rookie still searching for his first professional win, climbed 13 spots to No 19 in the world after finishing second in his debut at The Open. He began the calendar year ranked 134th.

Dustin Johnson was ranked No 3 at the end of 2021 and had fallen to No 18 entering last week, in part due to his decision to leave the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Players do not yet earn OWGR points by playing LIV events.

Johnson finished tied for sixth at The Open and earned enough points to slide up two spots to No 16 in the world.

In similar fashion, Bryson DeChambeau – who had plummeted to No 33 after missing most of the spring with injuries, then joining LIV – climbed four spots to No 29 by tying for eighth at St. Andrews.

RANKINGS

1. (1) Scottie Scheffler (USA) 3556

2. (7) Cameron Smith (Australia) 2335

3. (2) Sam Burns (USA) 2275

4. (3) Xander Schauffele (USA) 2153

5. (4) Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 2104

6. (5) Patrick Cantlay (USA) 1900

7. (6) Justin Thomas (USA) 1783

8. (8) Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 1697

9. (10) Will Zalatoris (USA) 1600

10. (11) Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) 1596

11. (9) Max Homa (USA) 1592

12. (12) Jordan Spieth (USA) 1574

13. (18) Cameron Young (USA) 1565

14. (13) Jon Rahm (Spain) 1449

15. (14) Billy Horschel (USA) 1377

16. (20) Viktor Hovland (Norway) 1314

17. (15) Tom Hoge (USA) 1309

18. (16) Talor Gooch (USA) 1302

19. (17) Sungjae Im (Korea Republic) 1243

20. (19) Joaquin Niemann (Chile) 1228

21. (21) Collin Morikawa (USA) 1089

22. (22) J.T. Poston (USA) 1046

23. (23) Davis Riley (USA) 993

24. (24) Seamus Power (Republic of Ireland) 990

25. (25) Cameron Tringale (USA) 952