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Woods, who was making his first start since
withdrawing from the Masters in April, had fallen to a
career-low 1,328th in the OWGR by last week. He made his return
at the Bahamas and while the 47-year-old surprised many with his
solid play, Woods bested only two players in the field.
That didn't prevent Woods from climbing to 898th in the OWGR,
his highest since before withdrawing from the 2022 PGA
Championship.
That also doesn't speak to the fact that the Hero World
Challenge is an unofficial PGA Tour event.
LIV had its application to earn OWGR points denied earlier this
year, largely due to the fact that its events are limited to 48
players competing in a three-day shotgun start format with no
cut that also includes a team aspect.
But that Woods could climb 430 spots in an unofficial event in
which he finishes third to last will almost certainly draw ire
from those who believe LIV players should be earning rankings
points.
Woods finished ahead of only reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham
Clark and Will Zalatoris, who made his own return from a back
injury that sidelined him the past nine months. Zalatoris
remained at No. 33 in the world despite finishing last by nine
shots.
Zalatoris earned 2.1 world ranking points for his last-place
finish in the Bahamas. For comparison, Englishman Laurie Canter
of LIV earned only a bit more -- 3.6 points -- for a tie for
fourth at the Australian Open, sanctioned by the PGA Tour of
Australasia.
Scottie Scheffler, who won the Hero World Challenge following
runner-up finishes each of the past two years, strengthened his
hold on the No. 1 ranking ahead of Rory McIlroy. Jon Rahm, who
is reportedly weighing an offer of around $600 million to join
LIV, is third.
--Field Level Media
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