McIlroy to become world No. 1 for 1st time since 2015
Rory McIlroy will retake the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since 2015 on Feb. 10, according to Twitter world-ranking guru "Nosferatu."
The Northern Irishman will end Brooks Koepka's 38-week reign in the top spot despite neither player teeing it up this week. The world ranking is determined by an algorithm that weighs results based on finishing position; older results gradually decrease in weight and eventually drop out of the equation.
McIlroy lost his No. 1 rank after the 2015 PGA Championship and was once ranked as low as 11th in the world. But a remarkable 2019 campaign in which he won four times and earned PGA Tour Player of the Year honors will see him return to the position he's held for 95 total weeks over the course of his career.
The 30-year-old needs two more weeks at No. 1 to match Nick Faldo for third-most all time. Tiger Woods holds the record with 683 weeks.
Koepka's fall from the top spot can be attributed to a knee injury that's allowed him to play just four times over the past six months. He's competed in two European Tour events in 2020 and is set to make his PGA Tour debut at the Genesis Invitational next week.
McIlroy has also committed to the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, which begins Feb. 13.