on Sunday in Augusta Tiger Woods’ final-round rally to win the Masters, boosted him to No. 6 in the Official World Golf Rankings, which were updated Sunday evening.
Woods, 43, entered the tournament at No. 12 in the world, equaling his highest ranking since late in the 2014 season.
In the time in between, he dipped as low as 1,199th in the rankings, while undergoing four back surgeries and believing he might never play again.
He climbed all the way to 26th within eight months of his lowest point before reaching 13th by the end of the 2018 season, following a victory at the Tour Championship.
Woods started Sunday two strokes back of Italy’s Francesco Molinari, a margin that remained through 11 holes, before overcoming the gap in the closing stretch to claim his fifth green jacket.
The last time Woods held the world’s top ranking was 10 weeks into the 2014 season. He holds the all-time records for most consecutive weeks (281) and most career weeks (683) atop the rankings.
Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the world after tying for second place, one stroke back of Woods. Johnson birdied four times in a five-hole span on the back nine to shoot 68.
England’s Justin Rose, who missed the cut by one stroke at 4 over through two rounds, had taken the title from Johnson last week, after Johnson took it from Rose in early March.
Rose dropped to No. 2, with Brooks Koepka, who also tied for second on Sunday, moving from fourth to third.
Woods won this tournament as a wiser, chastened, more mature middle-aged man. The arrogant fist-pumping golfer who won four green jackets from 1997 to 2005 appears to be long gone, replaced by a balding father who was pleased to report he “plodded” his way around Augusta National Golf Club as his younger competitors all slowly fell away, leaving only him standing at the end.
In a telling statistic, Woods made neither one eagle nor one double bogey across four days of play. This was a victory of moderation, not extremes.
