Tiger Woods leaps forward on golf rankings after successful Genesis Invitational outing

The unfortunate car accident Tiger Woods met in February 2021 led to an uncharacteristic pause in his golfing career. This was due to the alarming leg injuries he was suffering through. With Woods' break extending for over a year, he has been severely pushed back in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).

The golfing legend held the position of the No.1 golfer in the world for an impressive period of 281 consecutive weeks from June 12, 2005 to October 30, 2010. His total period of holding the No. 1 position is 683 weeks between June 15, 1997 to May 17, 2014, making him the player with the most time with the title. He did so by topping the rankings 11 times.

The unwarranted break as a result of the car accident had him stoop to as low as 1206th position in the Official World Golf Rankings in 2021. His eventual comeback that very year at the Hero World Challenge held at the Albany Resort in the Bahamas helped him climb over 500 ranks to be placed in the 668th position.

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Tiger Woods holds 985th position in OWGR after Genesis Invitational 2023

The Genesis Invitational - Final Round (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods hosted the PGA Championship at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, California, where he finished 1-under 283 by shooting a 2-over 73 in the final round on Sunday.

After finishing in the ninth position at the Hero World Challenge, Woods started 2022 in the 598th position and subsequently fell to the 973rd position. His play at the following Masters' Championship in 2022, wherein he finished in the 47th position, boosted his rank to the 757th position.

The pro golfer's position in the OWGR has seemingly stooped lower since the Masters tournament last year as he has only played in three professional tournaments in the span of over two years, including the Genesis Invitational 2023.

Critics lauded Tiger Woods' recovery journey whilst fans gushed over his return to the PGA Tour all over social media. With heavy competition surrounding him, Woods will have to keep his game up in order to boost his ranks.

"Competitively, I don't know. Each and every year from here going forward is playing all the majors. I am not going to play too much more than that, my body, leg and my back won't allow me to play much more than that anymore," said the 15-time champion to the reporters when asked about his upcoming plans for this year.