Luke Donald moves one step closer to taking over No. 1 ranking
Martin Kaymer may be the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world at the moment, but his reign could be coming to a close at the end of the weekend. With Lee Westwood currently holding a five-shot lead in Indonesia and Luke Donald nursing a one-shot lead in Hilton Head, there's a good chance one or the other could overtake the top spot.
The funny thing is, Westwood, who's currently ranked second in the game, could watch Donald, the third-ranked player, leapfrog him if both win on Sunday, due to the ridiculous points system that the World Golf Rankings employs.
As crazy as it would seem to have the number three jump number two if they both win, there might not be a more worthy No. 1 golfer in the game right now than Donald, who's quietly putting together a banner year.
After missing the cut at the Northern Trust, Donald has reeled off a stretch of tournament finishes that has seen him finish no lower than tenth, post a dominating win at the WGC-Accenture Match Play, where he never saw a match go to the last hole, and finish in fourth at the Masters.
Let's be honest: the game of golf really doesn't have a worthy No. 1 at the moment. Ever since Tiger Woods relinquished the top ranking, we've watched Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, and now possibly Luke Donald become the third No. 1. We have a lot of good players, but nobody seems to be playing at a different level.
Clearly, golf's highest ranking doesn't hold the same weight as it has in the past. While Luke Donald doesn't have a major championship, he is playing better than anybody on the planet at the moment. And if we have to pick someone to call "golf's best player," I'd rather it be the guy who's playing strong, consistent golf.
Hopefully Donald can close the deal at Hilton Head and take over the No. 1 ranking the right way -- by actually winning a tournament.
