FILE PHOTO: Feb 11, 2021; Pebble Beach, California, USA; Phil Mickelson looks on during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
March 10, 2021
Phil Mickelson has fallen outside the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in 28 years.
In the new rankings released Monday, Mickelson was ranked No. 101, ending his record streak at 1,425 weeks.
Additionally, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who was ranked No. 1 early in June 2020, fell out of the top 10, replaced by Bryson DeChambeau, winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday. McIlroy is outside the top 10 for the first time in three years.
Mickelson, 50, first appeared in the top 100 in August 1993 after winning The International.
In November 2019, Mickelson fell outside the top 50 for the first time since November 1993.
In 2021, Mickelson has played in three PGA Tour events, missing the cut twice and finishing tied for 53rd at the Farmers Insurance Open. He played in one PGA Tour Champions event, the Cologuard Classic, where world-ranking points are not earned. He finished 20th there.
Mickelson has won 44 PGA Tour events, including five major championships. He never reached No. 1 in the world. He held the No. 2 spot for 270 weeks, behind Tiger Woods each week.
In this week’s rankings, Dustin Johnson remains No. 1, following in the top five by Spaniard Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele. DeChambeau jumped from 11th to sixth.
Jordan Spieth, who reached No. 1 in 2015 but has struggled to find that form in recent years, moved up to No. 52 — his highest ranking since February 2020. He has three top-five finishes in his past four tournaments.
McIlroy finished eight shots behind DeChambeau on Sunday following a final-round 76. He admitted
“I need something, I need a spark – I need something and I just don’t seem to have it,” the 31-year-old told Sky Sports. “Some days it’s good, some days it’s not.”
McIlroy has not won since 2019 but will enter this week’s The Players Championship as the defending champion. The event was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic last year, beginning the PGA Tour’s 3 1/2-month hiatus.
“Some stuff that I don’t know how to describe, but just a little dejected or maybe looking to go in a different direction,” McIlroy said.
–Field Level Media
