PGA Power Rankings: Where Each Star Lands After the Players Championship

This edition of the Power Rankings comes fresh on the heels of Tiger Woods's triumph at the Players Championship.

If it were possible to move higher than the first spot, Tiger might have done so with his win. As it's not, the world No. 1 and Power Ranking No. 1 has put a little more distance between himself and the No. 2 player with his second career win at TPC Sawgrass.

Who is moving up? Who is sinking like the multiple balls he hit into the water at the 17th hole Sunday?

Read on to find out.

25. Bubba Watson

OWGR: 18

Previous Rank: NA

Why He's Here: After not doing much at the Masters, Bubba Watson finished tied for 37th at the Players Championship, continuing an above-average season.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Last year at the Olympic Club, the course setup was no friend to Bubba Watson, who questioned his own ability to win a U.S. Open. No matter how well he plays, with that type of attitude, it's difficult to imagine Watson finishing inside the top 25. 

24. Thorbjorn Olesen

OWGR: 33

Previous Rank: 20

Why He's Here: Although he didn't make the cut at the Players, Olesen has still been one of the most consistently good young players on tour...and one of the best dressed.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: The young Dane has a great combination of skills, to be sure. However, with no previous U.S. Open experience, it's difficult to imagine him making the cut. 

23. Jim Furyk

OWGR: 27

Previous Rank: 22

Why He's Here: The 5-Hour Energy pitchman moves forward, even after a missed cut at the Players, as others around him in the rankings have fallen back.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Furyk famously couldn't capitalize at the Olympic Club last year. At this stage in his career, he has too many demons to finish much better than the top 10. 

22. Freddie Jacobson

OWGR: 48

Previous Rank: 23

Why He's Here: A run of good form late in his career has Jacobson moving up the World Rankings...and the Power Rankings.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Jacobson finished tied for 15th at the U.S. Open last year. His position would have been much better if not for a final-round 75. Assuming he doesn't tank it on Sunday this year, Jacobson should be near the top 10 at Merion. 

21. David Lynn

OWGR: 40

Previous Rank: 24

Why He's Here: Lynn finished tied for 26th at the Players. A 76 on Sunday kept his finish from being much better. A second-place finish at the Wells Fargo also helps bump the Englishman up the list.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Lynn's outlook for the 2013 U.S. Open looks a lot like vacation...he's taking a holiday instead of participating in the most grueling test in golf. 

20. Rickie Fowler

OWGR: 30

Previous Rank: 17

Why He's Here: Fowler missed the cut at the Players Championship. His form has declined somewhat after solid performances earlier in the year.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: The Puma poster-child just doesn't hit enough greens to contend for a U.S. Open. It's difficult to think he'll do much better than his T41 finish last year. 

19. Hunter Mahan

OWGR: 21

Previous Rank: 21

Why He's Here: Mahan moves from 21 to 19 in the ranking on the strength of a T19 finish at the Players. The golfer is rebounding nicely after a dismal missed cut at the Masters.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: One of the best ball-strikers on tour, Mahan has improved his short game this year. Even so, he's missed the cut two out of the last three years at the U.S. Open. He doesn't yet have the skills on or around the green to contend for an Open, and this should be apparent at Merion. 

18. Charl Schwartzel

OWGR: 17

Previous Rank: 16

Why He's Here: Schwartzel finished tied for 55th at the Players Championship. This doesn't merit a leap forward, to be sure. Neither does it merit a precipitous drop, so the South African stays in pretty much the same place in this list.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: He tied for 38th at the U.S. Open last year. As he's only finding 58% of fairways this year, it's unlikely that a finish much better than last year's is in store for the 2011 Masters champion. 

17. Luke Donald

OWGR: 6

Previous Rank: 18

Why He's Here: Luke Donald is relatively stagnant in this edition of the Power Rankings. He moves up a single spot thanks to a top-20 finish at the Players.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Donald perennially seems like a lock to play well at the U.S. Open. For whatever reason, though, he hasn't, most recently missing the cut at the Olympic Club. Expect this weirdness to continue. 

16. Louis Oosthuizen

OWGR: 7

Previous Rank: 15

Why He's Here: Louis Oosthuizen only falls one spot in the rankings as he posted a solid top-20 finish at the Players.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: If he can putt, he can win. Louis is solid off the tee and with his approaches. If his play on and around the greens is going well, a top-20 finish is likely for the South African.

15. Keegan Bradley

OWGR: 14

Previous Rank: 12

Why He's Here: Rounds of 70 and 77 to miss the cut aren't the stuff that moving up power rankings is made of...

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Two missed cuts in a row don't have Bradley going in the right direction as we close in on the season's second major. Unless he rights the ship, he might add another missed cut to his resume at Merion. 

14. Dustin Johnson

OWGR: 19

Previous Rank: 11

Why He's Here: Dustin Johnson withdrew from the Players Championship after an opening-round 74 because of a back injury. Not finishing a tournament makes it difficult to advance in any type of ranking. Hopefully DJ's back doesn't hamper his performance going forward.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Johnson hits the ball a long way. However, he hits it all over the place. The South Carolinian missed the cut at the Olympic Club last year. Forces seem to be coalescing to ensure he'll do the same this year. 

13. Steve Stricker

OWGR: 9

Previous Rank: 13

Why He's Here: We've talked much about the merits of the Stricker Strategy here on the Power Rankings. We can safely report that it's still working: Strick finished tied for 37th at the Players Championship.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Stricker has finished inside the top 20 at the U.S. Open each of the last two years. Given his quality play in limited action in 2013, it's likely he'll be able to pull off a top-25 finish at Merion, even with minimal preparation. 

12. Jason Day

OWGR: 25

Previous Rank: 14

Why He's Here: The Australian who almost won the Masters (as opposed to the Australian who did), Jason Day has played reasonably well since his third-place finish at Augusta: T30 at the RBC Heritage, T19 at the Players.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: The 2013 U.S. Open at Merion could be a breakout win for the well-rounded Mr. Day. He finished second at the 2011 U.S. Open and appears comfortable with Open-style golf. Statistically, there's no reason he shouldn't be a front-runner. 

11. Lee Westwood

OWGR: 11

Previous Rank: 19

Why He's Here: The enduring image from Lee Westwood's 2013 Players Championship campaign will certainly be the golfer whiffing on an approach shot due to unexpected contact with a tree.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Westwood shook off the incident with the tree and finished tied for seventh at Sawgrass. That kind of resolve will serve him well at Merion.

10. Graeme McDowell

OWGR: 8

Previous Rank: 7

Why He's Here: GMac drops from seventh to 10th after a missed cut at the Players due to a second-round 76.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: The 2010 U.S. Open winner is certainly abundantly capable. His putting and driving accuracy right now have him well positioned for a top-10 finish at Merion.

9. Justin Rose

OWGR: 4

Previous Rank: 6

Why He's Here: Justin Rose falls three spots after missing the cut at Sawgrass. Rose seemed to be gathering momentum heading into the tournament, with top-25 finishes in his two tournaments leading up to the Players. Apparently not.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Rose finished tied for 21st at the U.S. Open last year. Even though he was poor down the stretch at Augusta, he'll likely be a solid performer at Merion. 

8. Phil Mickelson

OWGR: 10

Previous Rank: 10

Why He's Here: Phil moves forward even after a missed cut, as he narrowly missed out on playing the weekend. Others near him in the ranking were worse at Sawgrass.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: With Philip Albert, who really knows? He'll likely develop a prototype driving club for the tournament. If the club—and his putter—work well for Mickelson, anything is possible.

7. Webb Simpson

OWGR: 16

Previous Rank: 10

Why He's Here: A T15 finish at the Players Championship propels Webb Simpson three spots forward in the power rankings. Since missing the cut at the Masters, Simpson has played well (second at the RBC Heritage). 

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Last year's U.S. Open champion seems to be rounding into form at just the right time for a title defense. Good play and the knowledge that he's triumphed at an Open in the past should propel Simpson to a quality showing.

6. Sergio Garcia

OWGR: 13

Previous Rank: 9

Why He's Here: Forget about the disaster at 17. Sergio played well for the first 70 holes of the Players Championship, well enough to move up three spots in the ranking.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Not surprisingly, it's usually Sergio's putter that holds him back at the U.S. Open. In 2011, he was 144th in strokes gained-putting. However, he's presently third in the stat. Perhaps the claw and the fat putter grip can propel Garcia to a strong finish at Merion. 

5. Rory McIlroy

OWGR: 2

Previous Rank: 8

Why He's Here: McIlroy moves up three spots thanks to a quality top-10 at the Players, an event where he has historically not played his best.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Rory will likely be the second or third favorite entering the contest at Merion. With the way he has struggled with accuracy, distance control and putting in recent weeks, though, it's hard to see him winning the tournament. 

4. Matt Kuchar

OWGR: 12

Previous Rank: 2

Why He's Here: Kuchar fired uninspired rounds of 75, 76 on the weekend for finish in a tie for 48th at the tournament he won last year. He is passed in these rankings by two players who had much better weeks at Sawgrass.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Kuchar finished tied for 27th at the U.S. Open last year. Although his play has been strong in 2013, he's performing worse statistically in critical areas (driving accuracy, strokes gained-putting, greens in regulation) this year. It's not likely Kuchar will improve much upon last year's showing.

3. Adam Scott

OWGR: 3

Previous Rank: 4

Why He's Here: We all wondered how Scott would look in his first appearance after his Masters victory. Answer: Pretty good. The Australian finished tied for 19th at the Players Championship.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: The winner of the season's first major is one of the favorites heading into the second, assuming he continues to wield his eyesore-of-a-putter efficiently.

2. Brandt Snedeker

OWGR: 5

Previous Rank: 3

Why He's Here: Brandt Snedeker moves up from the third position on the strength of a top-10 finish at the Players. The Vanderbilt alum was solid across all four rounds, continuing the momentum he established with a T6 finish at the Masters.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Snedeker has jumped from 106th to 11th in driving accuracy over the past year. This, combined with his improved scoring as of late, should benefit the golfer greatly on the narrow fairways of Merion.

1. Tiger Woods

OWGR: 1

Previous Rank: 1

Why He's Here: Where else would he be? With his victory at the Players Championship, Tiger Woods captured his fourth win of 2013. He's asserted once again that he's the best in the game...by a lot.

Early U.S. Open Outlook: Perhaps you subscribe to the theory that Tiger—with his decision to play five-wood off the tee throughout much of the Players—was practicing the shots he'll use to conquer Merion. Perhaps you do not. Either way, Tiger is the clear favorite heading into the season's second major.