Why Is The USA Dominating The Golf World Rankings?

Arguably one of the most intriguing and, by extension, hardest professional sports has seen many changes over the years, especially from a world rankings perspective, which recently has, perhaps, led to a major continental power shift that could well last for the foreseeable future.

Certainly, as far back as a couple of decades, golf had a number of great players from a wide range of different countries, all competing for the top spot in the world rankings.

Back in those days (early to mid-2000s), the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (US), Vijay Singh (Fiji), Ernie Els (South Africa), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Jose Maria Olazabal, Thomas Levet (France), Padraig Harrington (ROI) and Luke Donald (England) – to name just a few, all represented a field of diverse golfers all who were at the top of their game.

The sport is regarded as one of the most challenging in the world – there are so many variables to consider, and reaching the very top of the game, or at least winning a major tournament, takes an extraordinary amount of discipline, talent and even luck.

However, the last 12 months have seen somewhat of an impressive surge from the US in terms of the number of native golfers that they have in the top 20 of the world rankings – currently 12 in total and three in the top six.

Despite this, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is just hanging on to the top spot, with Scottie Scheffler of the US breathing down his neck. There will be

With the Ryder Cup set to be played again this year, it certainly makes good reading for the US team, though it also raises the question, why has the US seen such a surge in top golfers?

Why The Recent Dominance For The US?

There could be many reasons that can be attributed to the rise of US golf over the last few years. Nearly a decade ago, we saw signs that the country was beginning to produce a number of top young golfers that could, in theory, dominate for the next decade; a 21-year-old Jordan Spieth showcased his then extraordinary abilities at the 2015 US Masters when he shot a record -18 under par for the tournament. This signalled that there could finally well be a new heir to the throne of (Tiger) Woods.

The likes of Dustin Johnson soon traced Spieth’s footsteps in the years that followed before a string of top, young talent followed suit, many of whom have made a significant impact on the world rankings since.

One obvious reason for such a resurgence has simply to do with it being a numbers game. The sheer population difference of the US, when compared to other nations, is significant; therefore, the country has a much higher percentage of producing more top talent on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, there is a substantial amount of funding that has been awarded in the country, dedicated to developing grassroots talent in the sport, with this divided up between all of the states.

Just recently, it was announced that $325,000 was awarded in 2022 via First Tee, which was born in 1997, and made up of a number of five golf organisations dedicated to making the sport more accessible and affordable at the grassroots level.

Mike Whan, who is CEO of USGA (US Golf Association), revealed: “This year’s IDEA grants are the latest milestone that reflects the significant progress made to date in partnership with First Tee.”

“The best way to introduce youth to the game is by meeting them where they are in their communities, and we are going to continue to drive resources toward the local level to ensure a more accessible and inclusive game for generations to come.”

It is believed that since this began, more than 2 million youth golfers annually have benefited from the funding. No doubt, this is one of the reasons why, over the last few years, we have seen the US make an impact on a professional level in the sport – it is more than likely that many of those who are currently in the top 20 are examples of those who had access to this funding.

The number of corporate sponsors in the US will also have played a part in the continual rise, with many likely having recognised the potential of youngsters, perhaps also aided by the many youth tournaments that the country has across the US – certainly, winners will have benefited considerably in this case.

Is The Ryder Cup A Forgone Conclusion?

Barring any drastic developments, it is highly likely that the US team will be overwhelming favourites to win the next edition of the golf Ryder Cup – played against Europe, though in the past, the underdogs have sprung a surprise.

It will come down to many variables – luck being one of them and also who hits form at the right time. The US captain will have a hard task picking the right team, while also, the ‘4 balls’ can be a difference-maker – it comes down to choosing the right pairs, players who can perform well together.

As a result, there will be a lot of expectation on the US team to win the tournament, and as a result, this could work in Europe’s favour – they will know that the pressure is off.

The Potential Affect Of LIV

Last year, the introduction of LIV received much criticism after it was introduced by the state of Saudi Arabia; a start-up, multi-billion dollar backed tournament to compete directly with the PGA Tour.

It has seen a number of top players from the game join, effectively, potentially weakening the long-running PGA Tour, with there being many concerns that the level of money involved in LIV could well have a negative effect on the game – essentially ruining the identity and integrity of it. A 14-tournament golf league, this is understood to have a total blockbuster prize fund of  $405m (£336m) – far exceeding what is available on the PGA Tour.

As such, players involved are set to receive millions in sponsorship deals before they have even swung a golf club, and there were numerous fears that this would spoil the game on an international level.

However, recent reports have indicated that some of those players competing in LIV will be allowed to take part in the much-anticipated US Masters golf tournament, played at Augusta every spring – the first major of the year.

High-profile golfers (some of whom are US-based), such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, are just some of the high-profile names that were seduced by the perks that LIV has to offer.

This could well affect the overall golf rankings in the future if it is decided that those players who compete in LIV are discounted from the official world golf rankings (certainly the PGA rankings) and should they be banned from competing in every major tournament in the future, it may well begin to affect the quality in the game as we know it.

Former Masters champion Fred Ridley has questioned the creation of such a tournament, stating: “Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it,” Ridley said.

“Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honour the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers.”

“Future changes to the Masters’ invitation criteria will be announced in April,” Ridley added.

It may not come as too much of a surprise if this does affect ‘official’ rankings in years to come, which could lead to the US investing even more in the sport to help retain the top players.