Woods has one of the five worlds that have dominated the world for the longest
The world rankings were first introduced to golf in 1986, so the likes of Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson never had the chance to rank first.
Of course, it is very likely that at some stage these four people will look down on their peers – in Nicklaus’ case, there was a time.
But in the modern era, only 25 people have won honors.
As for Tom Lehman, he reached the top in just one week.
The fact that Phil Mickelson’s greatest golf matches Tiger Woods’ golf is perhaps even more incredible, so he never stood out from other times (he had 270 weeks in other times!).
Keep this number in mind when we look at golfers who spend the longest period.
1. Tiger Woods – First Week 683
With 82 PGA Tour titles (associated with history) and 15 major titles, only Jack Nicklaus and Woods became the greatest golfer of all time.
He won his first major in June 1997, shortly after the Masters that year, and won five wins less than a year after becoming a career, his first ranking in the world in June 1997.
However, he is only ranked No. 1 per week, and over the next two years he will be swapping #1 with Ernie Els, Greg Norman and David Duval.
But from August 1999 to September 2004, he was the highest, spending 264 uninterrupted weeks as the world’s No. 1.
His last spell was a 60-week run from March 2013 to May 2014. He was twice as good as his next best effort in the highest 683 weeks.
2. Greg Norman – 1st place 331 weeks
After Bernhard Langer claimed on the first list that the Australian was just the third winner, Seve Ballesteros quickly replaced him.
Norman’s first extension lasted for 60 weeks starting in September 1986 and hinted at his strength over the next decade.
He will trade with Ballesteros for the rest of the 1980s, and Nick Faldo will become his key competitor.
Norman will end his career with 20 PGA Tour wins, two of which are professional, but both points should be higher.
Still, he was the Titan of the game, and he ranked first in the 96 weeks from June 1995 to April 1997.
3. ScottieScheffler – 151 weeks, count
The world number one is a great winning machine. His 17 PGA Tour victory statistical victory is about to end quickly, with his four professional numbers usurping the Australians’ title.
He ranked the highest for the first time in the March 2022 rankings, spending 30 weeks there, conceding it with Rory McIlroy for 16 weeks, briefly returning, Jon Rahm pinched him twice in a short time, and he has been unparalleled since May 2023.
In the current game, he has made three-digit weeks in the highest weeks, which is his leadership in the rest of the world, which will remain for some time in the future.
He has a long way to go and catch up with the top two, but he can at least pass Norman in the future.
4. Dustin Johnson – 1st place 135 weeks
If this is a bar quiz question, the fourth person on this list could trip a lot.
But yes, DJ has a great record for his peers and when he first arrived at the summit in February 2017, he spent over a year (62 weeks) as the world number one.
After that, Justin Thomas (shortly), then Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka (both first-class), and later Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, interrupted his time at the top, but he was a constant time until the final spell.
From August 2020 to June 2021, he spent 43 weeks of the best time in the world and spent another week there in July 2021.
He is a 24-time champion on the PGA Tour and has won two major titles.
5. RoryMcIlroy – 1st place 122 weeks
It’s no surprise that a famous golfer with huge moments and bad plots with his moments and bad plots, the Northern Irish never fully dominates because the ranking rewards consistency.
He won 29 wins on the PGA Tour and completed a major professional grand slam (won 5 games in total).
He would rate these achievements as world rankings, but he might continue much more.
He spent two weeks there in March 2012 and played a summer pass with Luke Donald. He has been at the top of the list for 32 weeks since August 2012 before Tiger Woods snatched it away.
He spent 54 weeks in #1 since August 2014, and it’s still his longest spell. He was last after Scheffler’s first side of the 11-week spell for the 2023 New Year.
He is the European on this list, but perhaps many might expect.
Who is here?
Nick Faldo ranked sixth in the 97 week, followed by Seve Ballesteros (61), Luke Donald (56 but no big win), Jon Rahm (52) and Jason Day (51) to fill the top ten.
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