Ben Griffin to Sahith Theegala: Golfers who gained most OWGR positions in 2022
The 2022 season saw a lot of ups and downs for many professionals. Nobody had as good a season as Rory McIlroy. Rory returned to the top of the OWGR (Official World Golf Rankings) after two years.
Percentage-wise, it was Ben Griffin who improved the most this year. Griffin had a 93.46% improvement compared to McIlroy's 88.89%.
There were 16 players who improved their rankings by more than 80% in 2022. The list included world Nos. 2 and 3, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith, and other stars like Will Zalatoris, Sahith Theegala, and Cameron Young.
Notable improved golfers in OWGR
1) Ben Griffin: 114(+1630|+93.46)
In 2021, Ben Griffin was doing a desk job. Within a year, he is about to enter the top 100 in the OWGR.
Griffin struggled in his initial years as a professional and had to quit golf due to financial reasons. He picked up an office job as a mortgage loan officer.
Several months later, Griffin decided to return to the golf course, and he qualified for the KFT event. That eventually led to Q-School and, subsequently, earning a tour card.
Griffin's best result came at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, where he finished T-3. He currently stands at No. 29 in FedExCup points.
2) Sahith Theegala: 43(+338, +88.71%)
Theegala turned pro in 2020, around the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was 2022 when all the stars aligned for Theegala.
Earlier this year, he finished third in the WM Phoenix Open. He was leading in the event until Hole 17, when his tee shot hit into the water.
Since then, Theegala has finished in the top 10 seven more times. He ended up as the runner-up at the RSM Classic. He also made it to the Tour Championship and qualified for the upcoming Masters.
3) Cameron Smith 3(+18|+85.71%)
The association with LIV golf affected every professional in the OWG. However, Smith was saved from the consequences as he joined the LIV pretty late after the Tour Championship precisely. He was second at the time.
Smith is currently third thanks to his victories at the Sentry TOC, The Players and The Open and a tie for 3rd finish at the Masters. He won the Australian PGA last month in a co-sanctioned event on the DP World Tour.
However, maintaining his ranking of 2023 will be an uphill task for the Aussie unless he does exceptionally well in the majors and a few other international tours or LIV golf gets the much sought OWGR.
“I think it's really a shame that we are not getting world-ranking points out here,” Smith shared his thoughts in his first LIV press conference.
4) Davis Thompson: 174(+864|+89.24%)
Another one who had a meteoric rise was Davis Thompson. Former amateur world No. 1, Thompson featured in the inaugural PGA Tour University class two years ago, where he finished runner-up and earned his Korn Ferry Tour card.
However, he preferred to play PGA Tour events through sponsor exemptions, failing to get into the top 30 of any of the six starts.
Thompson then went on to the Q-School year to re-earn the Korn Ferry card. He then won once and finished at No. 16 in graduation points to the Tour.
Notable downs of 2022
More than a lack of form, 2022 saw several down due to the association of big names with LIV Golf. Dustin Johnson slipped the most, -1,266.67% percentage wise. Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson were other big names to follow
Tiger Woods fell by 125.09% (5566 to No. 1,274), mostly due to his injuries and lack of participation in many events. He has played only three events, all majors, since February 2021. Here is a list of some notable downs for 2022.