• Golf

McIlroy climbs into world top ten

ESPN.co.uk staff
December 14, 2009
Rory McIlroy shows his quality from the sand © Getty Images
Enlarge

Rory McIlroy has climbed into the top ten in the world rankings, with his ninth place securing him a higher position in the standings than any 20-year-old before him.

The Ulsterman had a stellar year on the European Tour and his second-place finish in the Race to Dubai was enough to propel him into the world's top ten. McIlroy, who will divide his time between the European and US PGA tours next season, climbs two places from 11 to nine.

Tiger Woods holds a commanding lead over Phil Mickelson at the top of the standings, but he has recently announced he will take an indefinite break from the game to combat personal problems.

Lee Westwood is the highest-ranked European player at number four, while Paul Casey also features in the top ten at number seven.

Latest world rankings:
1 Tiger Woods 15.20pts, 2 Phil Mickelson 8.54, 3 Steve Stricker 6.89, 4 Lee Westwood 6.76, 5 Padraig Harrington 5.75, 6 Jim Furyk 5.70, 7 Paul Casey 5.55, 8 Henrik Stenson 5.54, 9 Rory McIlroy 4.97, 10 Kenny Perry 4.91, 11 Sergio Garcia 4.88, 12 Ian Poulter 4.75, 13 Martin Kaymer 4.64, 14 Geoff Ogilvy 4.63, 15 Stewart Cink 4.38, 16 Sean O'Hair 4.36, 17 Ernie Els 4.27, 18 Ross Fisher 4.14, 19 Retief Goosen 4.06, 20 Lucas Glover 3.95

Selected others:
28 Luke Donald, 38 Graeme McDowell, 39 Oliver Wilson, 43 Simon Dyson, 67 Ross McGowan, 70 Justin Rose

© ESPN EMEA LTD
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices