2011 Unofficial World Golf Power Rankings: Top 25 Post-Masters
The Masters concluded only last week, and everyone is already debating over who should be the top player in the world.
Most recent in the Official World Golf Rankings, Tiger Woods ascended to the No. 6 rank, Luke Donald retook the third spot, and Phil Mickelson lost some ground as he moved to fourth in the world.
But, as everyone knows, there are flaws in the Official World Golf Rankings. Well, here's your top 25 in the 2011 power rankings, as of the conclusion of the Valero Texas Open.
Note: This is based on only one person's opinion, feel free to criticize. This is not a perfect system, but I believe accurate.
About the Formula
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Just a quick word on the patented Immer Chriswell Ranking Formula. The following items are weighted:
- Winning (bi-winning gets bonus points): If you win a tournament, you of course get consideration. However, how you perform post-victory can lower your rank if you don't have successes post-win.
- Top 10s: The more the better. Despite the lack of credit you get from the media, you are rewarded for being a consistent player. For proof, see No. 7.
- Top 25s: Seems obvious, but finishing inside the top 25 still means that you performed well enough to be in the top third of the field.
- Missed Cuts: One may not hurt you, but make a habit of it and your rank won't be high.
- Most Recent Performances: This is still a power ranking, so time is an element.
- My judgement: It can be arbitrary, but I have seen every one of these players game this year, and use my observations to differentiate between players and who is the best player this year.
Notable Players That Were Left off the List
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Just to kill the wondering about who wasn't included, here are the 10 most notable names left off the list:
Rickie Fowler
Steve Stricker
Graeme McDowell
Dustin Johnson
Jim Furyk
Padraig Harrington
Ian Poulter
Retief Goosen
Sergio Garcia
Geoff Ogilvy
All of these players were left off for a few reasons:
-Lack of success this season
-Recent performance
-Disappointing early
But all were still considered. One other name that was close to the list: Kevin Na.
No. 25: Brandt Snedeker
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This is what missed cuts will do to a person. In five cuts made, Brandt Snedeker has four top 10s and his other finish was inside the top 25.
However, that is five cuts made out of ten tournaments he tried to play in.
Snedeker's inconsistencies can be linked back to his quick routine that allows no time for him to really do anything, especially over his putter.
If he can stop missing every other cut, Snedeker could actually be ranked high on this list.
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No. 24: Spencer Levin
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You've probably seen his name before. He has led tournaments following the first round three times this season. However, he hasn't won a single tournament.
Despite the fact he has three top 10s, Levin hasn't shown any sort of winning potential. Leading in the first round doesn't translate to winning on the 72nd hole.
The other issue that he seems to be having is his attitude. Levin, while better than he once was, still doesn't impress with his short demeanor on the course.
His swing is inconsistent, and unless he wins, or leads some more tournaments into top 10s, Levin's stay on this list will be short-lived.
No. 23: Brendan Steele
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He ekes onto the list with his first career win.
Other than that, Steele still hasn't been able to back up his accusations that Tiger Woods was not trying his hardest at the Farmers Insurance Open.
A big mouth doesn't, however, take away from his most recent victory, and his top 25 finish at the Farmer's.
If Steele doesn't pick up his game, his stay will be as long as Spencer Levin's: one time this season.
No. 22: Bubba Watson
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After winning the Farmers Insurance Open, many people jumped on the Bubba Watson train. Unfortunately, for Watson, the train has not yet left the station.
Despite the fact I think Bubba will win again, he sits low right now, especially after the Masters.Other than a fourth-place finish at the Accenture Match Play, Watson has a T24 and T25.
Those just aren't the stats to back up a top 15 player.
Like I said, Watson, like everyone has time on his side. I can see Bubba moving up next release of this.
No. 21: Gary Woodland
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When Tiger had to play with Woodland and Dustin Johnson, he joked that he would be the first man hitting. That fact is pretty true, as Woodland seems to be reaching new lengths.
The toughest thing with Woodland is three missed cuts.
He gets slack, because he is a young player, and counters those missed cuts with a win and a runner up.
He also has two more top 10s, and two top 25s outside of those.
So, in seven tournaments, Woodland has six top 25s. Not bad for his second tournament heavy year on tour.
No. 20: Francesco Molinari
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Molinari is the first, but not the last European Tour player to make this list. He, like many of the European players, has trouble competing in the US the same way he does when he is in Europe.
However, in Europe, he has a great year going. Three top 10s, one of them the WGC Cadillac Championship. A T20, and a T33. Not too bad for him, and it's not like his US exploits were awful.
He came in 15th at the Tournament of Champions, and the Cadillac Championship was hosted in the states.
What holds Molinari off the list is his T50 Masters finish. His top-10 rank in the Race to Dubai has him on the list, however.
No. 19: Bill Haas
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After a hot start to the season, Bill Haas has cooled off considerably. It still doesn't take away from what he accomplished early this year.
Three top 10s, a runner-up, and a top 25. Since then, unfortunately, nothing else has come of this. Haas has lost some of the confidence he had, and simply hasn't performed.
However, he still played extremely well, and was the second best player in the early weeks of the season.
Another month or so of this, however, and Haas will be exiting the ranks.
No. 18: Mark Wilson
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Early success gets your tour card secured for the next two years essentially, and Mark Wilson extended his time on tour early on this year.
Two wins this season had Wilson going hot but he, like Haas, has lost something he had in the past few weeks.
The only difference between his recent performance and Haas' is that he has a T9 at the Bay Hill.
If you look at everything here, Wilson definitely passed Haas, and will in pretty much the entire year barring a collapse of his game.
No. 17: Alvaro Quiros
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The biggest ranking drop from when I last did this, Alvaro Quiros' rank fell far for every reason the past two players' ranks did.
Since winning in Dubai, Quiros has no top 25s, his best finish a T27 at the recent Masters.
In the United States, that's his best finish. He had a T33 in the match play, and a T64 at the Cadillac. In his appearance in the Andalucia Open, Quiros managed a T51 performance.
All of these numbers add up to an unimpressive portion of the season.
It may be harsh to rank Quiros this low, but he hasn't done anything right since Dubai. Plenty of time gives him the chance to move up again.
No. 16: Steve Marino
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His successes are limited. Well, if you measure success in wins, his success in his career is made of no success.
But two runner-up finishes emphasize how close Steve Marino is to winning on tour.
Outside of those two second place finishes, he has only one more top 10, but his play this year is more impressive than those behind him.
You better watch out if you're a better, Steve Marino could rake in big money at one major this year.
He's always a dark horse, but can really contend.
No. 15: Paul Casey
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Although he may not deserve a rank this high, Paul Casey does get to stay in the top 15.
He has done as much as Quiros, more than Marino if you look at wins. He hasn't done much more.
The domination Paul Casey used to win his tournament pushed him up this board, along with two more top 25 finishes this year.
He, along with Quiros, need to pick their game up and play the way they are meant to play.
No 14: Hunter Mahan
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A runner up finish, four more to 10s, and a top 25 outside of that has Hunter Mahan on this list.
A missed cut at the Masters cost him about two or three spots here.
I wrote Hunter Mahan off early this year, and I felt pretty dumb when he played as well as he did week in and week out.
That said, what's holding Mahan back this year is that first win. I don't doubt he can get it, but he hasn't yet.
Once that happens, it will be another solid year in the books for Mahan. Without that win, the year seems much more empty.
Luckily he has a while to fill his year up.
No. 13: Lee Westwood
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After a bunch of decent finishes in America, Lee Westwood posted his best finish so far this year in America at the Masters.
A T11 at the Masters was definitely a big boost, but still doesn't make Westwood No. 2 in the world right now.
Westwood has four top 25s this year in five PGA starts. Unfortunately, he only has one more top 25 in Europe. In addition to that, he has a missed cut and a T64.
Westwood is also yet to crack the top 10 this year in any tournament, and he is still yet to crack this top 10.
No. 12: Adam Scott
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The Masters truly plays a pivotal role in these rankings. And Adam Scott's T2 finish alongside three more top 25s have shown he may be on the path back to elite golfers.
This rank may be a little high for Scott, but look at Lee Westwood: He hasn't made a top 10 yet. Scott has two, and one was a runner up in a major.
It was a toss-up for Scott for the 12th, but the stats of the next guy impressed me more.
No. 11: Jason Day
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Like I said, Day's stats were better. He had one more top-10 finish, and it was a World Golf Championship to boot.
Although I hate Jason Day, think he's immature and arrogant, he is starting to improve in my eyes.
His biggest issue is his attitude, as he is extremely critical and gets too low.
That said, he still played great in the Masters, and has been consistent the rest of the year.
No. 10: Matteo Manassero
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If you are looking for the potential to dominate the game, look not further: Matteo Manassero has it.
At 18 years old, Manassero just became the second youngest player to win a professional golf event. The youngest? Matteo Manassero last year.
Watching the kid play golf is unbelievable. He has this aura about himself. His calm is inspiring.
Anyone who wants to win a tournament in golf needs to take a page out of his book, because it is a great read I'm sure.
With one win, one top 10, one top 25, at age 18 his weighting takes him to 10. I'm gonna say he has the capability for top five. Who he is behind knows plenty about being at the top.
No. 9: Tiger Woods
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After riding high on Tiger Woods' play, I took an honest look at his stats. Two top 10s and a top 25 outside of that. A lot of questions about his game, and consistency.
However, what I took into account was also this: Woods has played five tournaments. That's half of what most of the rest of the players have done.
Everyone points to his Masters performance and draws different things. What I can see is that he posted two solid rounds and almost won.
At the Cadillac Championship, Woods had one good round. If Tiger Woods has three good rounds, and one mediocre round, the golf world is in trouble.
The other thing I took is he is going to compete at majors. Majors weigh heavily here, and what Tiger did at the Masters pushed him up.
If you're wondering why I put Tiger ahead of Manassero, Day, and Scott, it's because he hasn't played as much, and has nearly as many successes.
No. 8: Matt Kuchar
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Captain Consistent is back. Nine tournaments in, Kuchar has a third-place finish, six total top 10s, and seven top 25s.
With a record like that, Kuchar has a chance more weekends than not.
While he hasn't won this season yet, his consistency pushed him inside the top 10.
Kuchar started at seventh when I started writing this, but moved back slightly because of the strength in front of him.
No. 7: Phil Mickelson
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Everyone had a Masters favorite. After his win one week before the Masters, half of those people's favorites became Phil Mickelson.
Why anyone did that was a mystery to me. The odds were so stacked against him, there couldn't have been much of a chance he would win.
Phil has been better than Tiger chiefly because he won. Other than that, he really hasn't performed better than Tiger. A second-place finish doesn't compare to a fourth place at the Masters.
The win was the separating factor, and Phil's chances for a big year are still there.
No. 6: Rory McIlroy
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Had McIlroy won the Masters, he would have taken the top spot on this list. Instead, he got pushed all the way back to sixth.
His performance on sunday at the Masters was not superb, but he managed to make a comeback the next week at the Maybank Malaysian Open.
While many people will say he choked away another week, McIlroy was just outplayed by Matteo Manassero.
Rory McIlroy has a lot of success in his future, but when his first major will come is yet to be seen.
No. 5: Nick Watney
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Once I read closer to the stat lines, and thought about performance, Nick Watney had top five credentials.
Watney has a win and five total top 10s in seven tournaments. In addition, he has a top 25.
His only finish outside the 25? The Masters. Watney gets a break, however, because he didn't have the experience that Augusta requires to truly succeed.
What also puts Watney very high is the fact he won a World Golf Championship. Next to the Masters, the two events were the most heavily weighing events.
If you're looking for the future of American golf, Nick Watney may be it.
No. 4: Martin Laird
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Martin Laird has as many top 10s as Nick Watney, as many wins as Nick Watney, but has a higher percentage of finish than Nick Watney. Just barely.
He has eight top 10s in nine events, versus Watney's six to seven.
Either way you look at it, it was a close choice, but Laird has played better as of late. While many people didn't know much about Laird until he won, he has been there all year.
I didn't give him much credence, but he deserves a lot. If he keeps up on this pace, Martin Laird will be up for Breakout Player of the Year. He has the same talent as Graeme McDowell, I would say.
Major potential? Don't write him off.
No. 3: Martin Kaymer
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The World No. 1 is the unofficial No. 3.
After a great start to the year, Martin Kaymer has faltered, and could lose his top rank in the world to Luke Donald, or Lee Westwood. Both are leading their respective events.
Kaymer, however, isn't playing, and is essentially waving a white flag.
After failing to miss the cut at the Masters, Kaymer could have lost his rank to any number of golfers, but had the good fortune of Charl Scwartzel winning.
His dethroning seems inevitable, just like Lee Westwood's.
When will it happen? I'm going to say Sunday. However, he doesn't move from third after sunday here.
No. 2: Charl Schwartzel
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After winning the Masters, Charl Schwartzel's stock went way up.
I believe I ranked him 10th the first time I released this list. Schwartzel to that point had a T4, T8, and a win.
Schwartzel has that, a T17, T24, T11, and a Masters jacket to add to that.
It may seem crazy at this point to not have him as the best golfer in the world, but he falls just short to one player in the world.
Although Schwartzel's Masters performance was admirable, I still feel that one player has outplayed him to this point of the season.
No. 1: Luke Donald
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He doesn't have to win to take No. 1 on this list. It would only solidify his position. It would, however, make my rank consistent with the World Golf Rankings.
Right now, Luke Donald is 36 holes of quality golf away from adding a win to a season where he has four top 10s in four out of five cuts made.
One of those top 10s is a win at the Accenture Match Play WGC event. Another is a T4 at the Masters. A T4 with Tiger Woods.
While he doesn't have a major yet, and he doesn't have two wins this year, Luke Donald is the best player on tour right now.
Here's to a great finish at the Heritage for Donald. Maybe he can wear a snazzy plaid jacket as a consolation.
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So who's your No. 1? Tell me where you rank the top golfers right now.
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