Updated through the British Open, the top four players in the World Golf Ranking (WGR) are: 1. Tiger Woods, 2. Ernie Els, 3. Vijay Singh, 4. Phil Mickelson. Ladies and gentlemen, the Big Four.
Unnecessary ink has been spilled in refuting the WGR's ultimate conclusion, that is, that Tiger Woods is still the world's best golfer. The WGR was setup to answer this question: as of recent history -- recent meaning the last two years, with an emphasis on the past 13 weeks -- who has been the best?
While Woods' lead over his chief rivals has undeniably shrunk, still it remains. He will continue to be introduced as the world's number one until Els, or one of the others, finally displaces him. Right now, that seems inevitable. Woods' game has suffered a very public fall from invincibility, while Els, Singh, and Mickelson have noticeably improved their own standing in relativity to Tiger.
That may mean that the WGR is flawed, since Woods is no longer the favorite heading into major championships. Els and Mickelson now hold that honor. But the WGR system was designed to be a composite sketch of the last two seasons in golf, not an odds book for the PGA Championship. The WGR is a conservative measure, slowly adjusting a player's rank, especially near the top.
Think about it this way. Coming into the 2004 season, Tiger had not won a major since the 2002 U.S. Open. Still, Woods was the most popular pick among experts and fans alike in both the Masters and U.S. Open. But his errant tee game, cryptic interviews -- think his feud with Butch Harmon and his denial about the state of his game -- and disappointing finishes have deconstructed his uber-façade.
Such deconstruction has melted the fear associated with seeing his name on the leaderboard, at least for his competitors. In fact, it is far from a given that Woods' moniker will even grace the leaderboard anymore.
Tiger's 2004 follies culminated in the ultimate insult: he was not the odds-on favorite to win the British Open. Still, would you bet against him? Maybe, but you will think hard before you do.
Meanwhile, it has been Els, Singh, and Mickelson that have outperformed Tiger this season in all aspects.
Singh has produced three wins this season and is second on the money list. His numbers are better than Woods' this year, and only his lackluster weekend play at the U.S. and British Opens have tainted his record (77-78 at Shinnecock, 76-71 at Troon).
Els' season has been paradoxical. While it has undoubtedly been one of the best seasons of his career (three worldwide wins, seven top-10s in 11 PGA Tour events), Els will probably remember 2004 for squandered opportunities in the major championships. In April, Els shot a final round 67 to grab the clubhouse lead with only one group left on the course. He was nearby when Phil Mickelson holed his now infamous 20-footer for birdie to best Els by one.
In June, Els played himself into the final group on Sunday at the U.S. Open, only to shoot a whopping 80, dropping him to ninth place. And last Sunday, Ernie missed two key putts on the 18th hole at Royal Troon: the first would have won him the Claret Jug outright; the second, in the final hole of his playoff with Todd Hamilton, would have extended the drama to a fifth hole. On the whole, Els came sickeningly close to a legitimate shot at the Grand Slam, though he has not yet won a major in 2004.
For Mickelson, 2004 has been a rebirth. The old Phil -- hardheaded, foolish, risky, and more mistake-prone than a 15-year-old -- perished last year after Mickelson went 0-5 in the President's Cup, capping his worst season on Tour. Mickelson compiled zero wins, finished 189th in driving accuracy, and placed 38th on the money list, missing the Tour Championship for the first time since his rookie year. And other than his third place finish at the Masters, he had only one top three finish, at the Skins game. The Skins game, in case you didn't know, features four players.
Mickeslon's dreadful play and ballooning figure made him an increasingly easy target for every pundit, commentator, and fan. He was dismissed as stupid, stubborn, and too shaky to win a major.
But just listen to the lot now -- Peter Kostis, Gary Van Sickle, Johnny Miller -- and you'd think that Phil crafted the proverbial method on how to play golf. He's smarter now, he drives the ball in the fairway more often by sacrificing distance, and he's confident enough to win multiple majors.
His preparation for the majors, which includes visiting the major venue two weeks in advance with his teacher Rick Smith and short-game wizard Dave Pelz, is now called the most intelligent on Tour. That development has occurred thanks to Mickeslon's win at the Masters.
Mickelson's season has been remarkable: two wins, 12 top-10s, and $5.4 million dollars in earnings. The biggest critique one can muster right now against Phil is that following the Masters, his finishes in major championships get progressively worse (first at the Masters, second at the U.S. Open, third at the British Open).
Mickelson was on the downside of his career a season ago. He was cast aside by all relevant minds in golf, and his game was at a low point. Nine months later, a reborn Mickelson is in the middle of his best season on Tour, having discarded the Major-less Monkey that haunted his career, and has come even closer than Els to contending for the Grand Slam. A better turnaround in sports, you are not likely to see.
And so that brings us back to Woods, who is at his own similar low point. Rock bottom, as with Mickelson? Perhaps. 0-9 since June of 2002 in the majors. Zero stroke play wins since last October. 163rd in driving accuracy. And soon to be displaced as the number one player in the world thanks to the coup-de-Els.
The important question, then, is not whether the World Golf Rankings are an accurate measure of who is the best player in the world. No, because most of us agree that Tiger is ready to fall from that perch. No, the important question is this: does Tiger Woods buy stock in the WGR? In other words, does Tiger still consider himself the best in the world, or does he see the flaw, as well?
Mickelson, long-heralded as one of the dumbest, most obstinate players on Tour, was able to restore himself and his career over a gestation process that began the moment he flew home from South Africa after going 0-5 in the Presidents' Cup and ending when he slipped on the Green Jacket for the first time.
Woods, the most accomplished golfer for his age of all-time, stands to benefit from a similar restoration. Will he respond to the challenge? If he does, he could make the World Golf Ranking as obsolete and unmentioned as it was in 2000, when he was twice as good as any other player on Tour.