Rory McIlroy To Return To Number One With Match Play Win

Rory will return to the top spot if he wins, DJ doesn't reach the semis and Rose finishes outside of the top three

Rory McIlroy To Return To Number One
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rory will return to the top spot if he wins, DJ doesn't reach the semis and Rose finishes outside of the top three

Rory McIlroy To Return To Number One With Match Play Win

Rory McIlroy has the chance to return to the World Number One position for the first time since August 2015 with victory at this week's WGC-Match Play Championship at Austin Country Club.

With a win this week, in the 64-man field, Rory will usurp all three men ahead of him (Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka) IF... Dustin Johnson doesn't reach the semi-final AND Justin Rose doesn't finish 2nd or 3rd.

The four-time Major winner has spent 95 weeks atop the Official World Golf Ranking, the four-longest reign since the rankings began in 1986.

McIlroy returns at the Dell Tech Match Play two weeks after his Players Championship victory, which was his 15th PGA Tour title and first win in a year.

The 29-year-old has been in brilliant form all year, finishing inside the top-six in all six of his starts in 2019.

Related: 30 things you didn't know about Rory McIlroy

He has seen his world ranking rise from 11th at the start of the year to 4th currently.

McIlroy won the WGC-Match Play in 2015, beating Gary Woodland in the final.

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV