Justin Rose lost the battle on Monday at the BMW Championship, but in a way, he won the war. At least, for now. When the newest edition of the Official World Golf Ranking comes out, Rose is expected to move to No. 1 for the first time in his career.
Rose's second runner-up in as many weeks will knock Dustin Johnson from the top spot. Rose will be the 22nd player to be ranked No. 1 since the OWGR was established in 1986. He will join Nick Faldo, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald as the only English-born golfers to hold the position. And despite the tough playoff loss at Aronimink, Rose seemed pretty pumped about it:
This is the second time Johnson has lost his grasp on the No. 1 ranking this season. After holding the top spot for 64 consecutive weeks, Justin Thomas moved to No. 1 for four weeks before DJ reclaimed the title after his win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June.
Keegan Bradley, who beat Rose on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff at the BMW Championship on Monday, is projected to move up to No. 31 from No. 66. And Tiger Woods, who shot a final-round 65 to finish T-6, will climb to No. 21. Here's how the new ranking is expected to look:
Rose, 38, is a nine-time PGA Tour winner, a 10-time European Tour winner, and, of course, the 2013 U.S. Open champ. Throw in a Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympics and this ascension to golf's top spot, and Rose has the making of a Hall-of-Fame career already. Now No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings heading into next week's Tour Championship, he's also in great position to add that PGA Tour season-long award to his résumé.
The best of Golf Digest delivered daily
Sign UpWill be used in accordance with our PRIVACY POLICY