Golf:Paul Casey has become the latest European to overtake Tiger Woods on the world rankings, pushing the 14-time major winner down to eighth despite missing the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.
Woods sat out the event with knee and Achilles injuries but has entered this week’s Players Championship in Florida.
Europe now has six of the top seven players in the world, with only Phil Mickelson in fourth spot breaking their stranglehold.
Lee Westwood’s decision not to play at Sawgrass this week — sixth-ranked Rory McIlroy is also skipping golf’s richest event — means he could lose top spot to Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald or Mickelson.
Kaymer would need to finish first or second on Sunday, while Donald and Mickelson — neither of whom has ever led the rankings — would have to win what is often referred to as the sport’s unofficial fifth major. Not that Westwood or McIlroy view it that way.
Woods has now fallen so far that even if he was to record his first victory anywhere since November 2009 he could climb only as high as fourth.
Latest leading positions in the world golf rankings:
1 Lee Westwood 8.07pts, 2 Martin Kaymer 7.42, 3 Luke Donald 7.33, 4 Phil Mickelson 6.59, 5 Graeme McDowell 5.65, 6 Rory McIlroy 5.44, 7 Paul Casey 5.39, 8 Tiger Woods 5.36, 9 Steve Stricker 5.33, 10 Matt Kuchar 5.26.
11 Bubba Watson 5.21, 12 Charl Schwartzel 5.02, 13 Dustin Johnson 5.00, 14 Jim Furyk 4.74, 15 Nick Watney 4.55, 16 Ernie Els 4.25, 17 Adam Scott 4.24, 18 Ian Poulter 4.10, 19 Francesco Molinari 4.07, 20 Hunter Mahan 4.07.
Other leading Europeans:
21 Martin Laird, 22 Robert Karlsson, 23 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 26 Justin Rose, 27 Alvaro Quiros, 30 Edoardo Molinari, 33 Matteo Manassero, 41 Pádraig Harrington, 44 Anders Hansen, 47 Ross Fisher, 52 Peter Hanson, 69 Thomas Bjorn, 74 Sergio Garcia, 77 Stephen Gallacher, 83 Simon Dyson, 86 Raphael Jacquelin, 87 David Horsey, 89 Rhys Davies, 95 Gregory Bourdy, 96 Brian Davis.
