Tiger Woods in line for huge world rankings leap with Open result

How Tiger Woods would love to win the Open Championship again.

Three times a victor of golf’s oldest major, Woods, 48, is preparing for a 23rd bid at the Claret Jug.

He has, however, only teed it up in seven events since his last at St Andrews in 2022 after missing the contest at Royal Liverpool last year.

Those are the two venues in which he has conquered the Open field, and when it last arrived in this part of south Ayrshire, Woods was nearing the end of 16 months on the sidelines.

Priced as high as 250/1 by bookmakers ahead of this week’s championship, it’s unlikely Woods will add another mark to his Sun Day Red logo.

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That is certainly the opinion of Colin Montgomerie, too, who is adamant that Woods should have hung up his clubs two years ago, at the 150th edition of the Open.

“That was the time,” the Scot told The bunkered Podcast.

“Stand on that bridge, start waving, and everyone goes, ‘So, is that it?’ Yeah, it is. It would have been a glorious way to go. That was the time for Tiger to say, ‘Okay, I bow out.’”

But Woods – alongside caddie Lance Bennett – is among the stellar field this week, having already completed two practice rounds.

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So, what would he earn should he achieve the seemingly impossible?

Well, of course, a 16th major title and $3.1 million, but also a meteoric hike in the official world golf rankings (OWGR).

According to OWGR guru Nosferatu on X, the American could jump as high as number 34 in the rankings with a win.

Currently in the doldrums of the system, Woods is ranked world number 874. He was as high as 1328 ahead of the Hero World Challenge in December.

Meanwhile, Xander Schauffele could reach number two, Ludvig Aberg number three and Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm number four.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.