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Westwood would be a worthy No. 1 - Kaymer

Lee Westwood could be crowned world No. 1 on October 31 © Getty Images

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Martin Kaymer believes that Lee Westwood will be the rightful owner of the world No. 1 status if he moves to the top of the rankings at the end of the month.

Westwood needed to finish in the top two at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in order to usurp Tiger Woods this week, but the Briton only managed an 11th-placed finish under the duress of his ongoing calf problems. However, Westwood confirmed that he will now take a three-week rest in order to allow his leg to recover from a testing Ryder Cup week, and by quirk of the rankings system his absence could earn him No. 1 status on October 31.

The current world No. 2 will overtake Woods, provided neither plays before that date, but Westwood is not guaranteed the No. 1 spot after Kaymer confirmed he would play in the Andalucia Valderrama Masters in Spain that week, giving the German the chance to earn the top ranking.

Westwood would rather find his way to the top on the back of a successful tournament, but there are few who could deny that he has been the most consistent performer on Tour this season. And while it may be Kaymer, who won Sunday's Dunhill Links event, who may deny Westwood the No. 1 status, the US PGA champion is adamant that his Ryder Cup team-mate is currently golf's standard bearer.

"The way he played with me last week was absolutely amazing. He played so solidly, his entire game was fantastic," Kaymer said in the Telegraph. "He played very well here all week. I saw him missing a lot of putts today but playing-wise, for me, he's the No. 1 in the world. I see him as a role model."

Kaymer moves up to world No. 4 with his latest victory, his third consecutive triumph on the European Tour, and he is one of five Europeans in the top ten, and he believes European golf has never been stronger.

"There are more and more Europeans in the world top 50 in the last couple of years," he said. "Winning the Ryder Cup was amazing but we knew before that we had a lot of great players. If you look at the world rankings and the last tournaments played, Rory McIlroy winning in America, Graeme McDowell winning the US Open, I got lucky at the PGA. We have great players."

World Rankings: 1. Tiger Woods (USA), 2. Lee Westwood (Eng), 3. Phil Mickelson (USA), 4. Martin Kaymer (GER), 5. Steve Stricker (USA), 6. Jim Furyk (USA), 7. Paul Casey (Eng), 8. Luke Donald (Eng), 9. Rory McIlroy (NI), 10. Ernie Els (RSA), 11. Matt Kuchar (USA), 12. Dustin Johnson (USA), 13. Graeme McDowell (NI), 14. Edoardo Molinari (ITA), 15. Ian Poulter (Eng), 16. Hunter Mahan (USA), 17. Retief Goosen (RSA), 18. Zach Johnson (USA), 19. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), 20. Anthony Kim (USA)

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