World Golf Rankings

[sharkshooter]

Are they reasonable? What validity do they have outside the top 25 or 50, where the differences are so minor?

Don't get me wrong, I think Greg is a great golfer, but when one week can move you up 480 spots, does it take some mental gymnastics to say, "Yes, that is right."? Can we just say, well, it was a major?

Thoughts? Comments?

From www.shark.com:

Norman Jumps Record 480 Places In Golf Rankings

July 21, 2008
Greg Norman has jumped a record 480 places on the world golf rankings following his bold third-place finish at the British Open.
Ranked 646th in the world before he teed off, Norman has soared to No. 166, the biggest single leap in rankings history.

Norman, who was No. 1 for a record 331 weeks before being usurped by Tiger Woods, is now at his highest ranking since 2003.

[sillywilly]

I've always thought the system was stupid. Not as stupid as the womens rankings which when released had wie at 2 or 3... idiots

[jvincent]

It's all about the math.

IIRC the formula used is reasonably complex and includes variables such as the strength of the field, the number of events played, when they were played, etc.

There will always be quibbling about the formula since at any given moment the guy who just won should be considered the "best".