• PGA Tour

Clark up twenty in rankings after claiming maiden title

Tim Clark is the new world No. 20 © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Clark claims first PGA title with stunning final-round 67
  
• Profile: Luke Donald | Phil Mickelson | Lee Westwood | Tiger Woods

Tim Clark has climbed twenty places in the world rankings after he claimed his first PGA Tour title at the Players Championship on Sunday.

The new world No. 20 started the final day at Sawgrass three shots behind leader Lee Westwood, but a bogey-free final round of 67 took him to the championship.

It took over eight years and more than 204 tournaments for Clark to belatedly seal his inaugural triumph - a victory that he had often thought would never arrive.

"There was a part of me that thought, 'Man, what have I been doing?' When you play that many tournaments, and when you have weeks where you feel like you've played well enough to win and you haven't, it gets a bit frustrating," Clark said.

"You do start to wonder, 'When is it going to happen for me?' Luckily for me, this week I did play my best. That's about as good as I can play."

Phil Mickelson, who could have overtaken Tiger Woods as No. 1 with a win at Sawgrass, remains second in the rankings after he finished nine shots behind Clark in a tie for 17th.

Despite undergoing thumb surgery that will necessitate a ten-week lay-off, Anthony Kim has replaced Martin Kaymer in the top ten. Other notable changes include Robert Allenby - second at the Players Championship - climbing four to 12th, while Luke Donald is up one to 18th after finishing five-under in Florida over the weekend.

World Rankings: 1. Tiger Woods (USA), 2. Phil Mickelson (USA), 3. Steve Stricker (USA), 4. Lee Westwood (Eng), 5. Jim Furyk (USA), 6. Ian Poulter (Eng), 7. Ernie Els (RSA), 8. Paul Casey (Eng), 9. Rory McIlroy (NI), 10. Anthony Kim (USA), 11. Martin Kaymer (Ger), 12. Robert Allenby (Aus), 13. Padraig Harrington (Ire), 14. Camilo Villegas (Col), 15. Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), 16. Retief Goosen (RSA), 17. Hunter Mahan (USA), 18. Luke Donald (Eng), 19. Henrik Stenson (Swe), 20. Tim Clark (RSA)

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.