Even before he has made up his mind on whether to turn professional, new Irish Open champion Shane Lowry has been installed at 168th in the world rankings. After only one appearance on the European Tour, the 22-year-old is already above the likes of Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn thanks to his stunning play-off victory at Co Louth.
And if the Offaly man was to enter and win this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, he would leap into the world’s top 50 and qualify for next month’s US Open.
England’s Robert Rock would have moved up into the top 100 for the first time if he had not lost on the third extra hole to Lowry but, as it is, his 125th place is still a career high.
Zach Johnson won the Texas Open and moves back into the world’s top 20 at 19th, one spot ahead of Co Down’s Rory McIlroy.
Montgomerie’s closing 80 at the Irish Open had more damaging implications than merely a tumble down the leaderboard.
By falling from joint seventh to 41st, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain is left with only one way into next month’s US Open — by qualifying at Walton Heath next Monday.
Montgomerie’s world ranking dropped today from 176th and 182nd and that means even a win in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week would not take him into the top 50 in time for next Monday’s cut-off point.
Latest leading positions:
1 Tiger Woods 9.64pts, 2 Phil Mickelson 8.36, 3 Sergio Garcia 6.67, 4 Henrik Stenson 6.33, 5 Geoff Ogilvy 6.28, 6 Kenny Perry 5.75, 7 Paul Casey 5.64, 8 Padraig Harrington 5.19, 9 Vijay Singh 5.16, 10 Camilo Villegas 4.86
11 Robert Karlsson 4.50, 12 Sean O'Hair 4.48, 13 Steve Stricker 4.39, 14 Jim Furyk 4.32, 15 Anthony Kim 4.01, 16 Lee Westwood 3.86, 17 Ernie Els 3.77, 18 Ian Poulter 3.74, 19 Zach Johnson 3.65, 20 Rory McIlroy 3.61
Other leading Europeans:
24 Luke Donald, 25 Martin Kaymer, 28 Alvaro Quiros, 35 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 38 Justin Rose, 39 Ross Fisher, 42 Oliver Wilson, 45 Soren Kjeldsen, 51 Graeme McDowell, 60 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 65 Peter Hanson, 67 Anders Hansen, 70 Soren Hansen, 73 Francesco Molinari, 87 Fredrik Jacobson, 90 Darren Clarke, 91 Anthony Wall, 95 Johan Edfors, 99 Carl Pettersson
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