Tiger Woods Jumps 430 Spots in Official World Golf Ranking After Hero World Challenge

Finishing 18th at the Hero World Challenge was enough to catapult Tiger Woods 430 spots up the Official World Golf Ranking.

The 15-time major champion is now No. 898 in the world, which is his highest position since the 2022 PGA Championship (No. 841).

Woods made his competitive return to golf this past weekend at the annual event he hosts in the Bahamas. He had last entered a PGA Tour event at the Masters this past April.

His position in the leaderboard and final score (even par) largely took a back seat to the fact he not only went the distance but remained consistent after a three-over 75 in the opening round.

That's an improvement for Woods compared to the past few years.

In 2022, he carded back-to-back 78s to close out the Masters before withdrawing from the PGA Championship and missing the cut in the Open Championship. The 2023 season wasn't much different as he had an uneven performance in the Genesis Invitational and made the cut at the Masters but exited midway through the third round.

Leading up to the Hero World Challenge, the 47-year-old told reporters he considered entering around one tournament a month was his best-case scenario. His performance provided more reason for some cautious optimism.

The Genesis Invitational, which tees off Feb. 15, is likely the next time Woods will get back on the course. Perhaps even the Farmers Insurance Open in late January could be on the table if he's physically feeling up to it.