How many OWGR spots did Hideki Matsuyama jump by winning The Genesis Invitational 2024? Ranking explored

Following his victory at the 2024 Genesis Invitational, Hideki Matsuyama has surged 35 spots to 20th in the latest Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) update. This marks his highest ranking since the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Matsuyama, previously ranked 55th, clinched the Genesis Invitational by a three-stroke margin, triumphing over Will Zalatoris and Luke List. Despite trailing by six strokes after 54 holes, he staged a remarkable comeback, carding a 9-under 62 to finish at 17-under overall. His first victory since the 2021 Sony Open in Hawaii and his ninth overall on the PGA Tour moved him up the rankings.

At the start of the year, Matsuyama was ranked 46th in the OWGR but slipped nine spots after failing to make any top 10s in his first five starts. However, his win at the Riviera Country Club has propelled him back into the top 20 after a year of fluctuations.

Following his victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii two years ago, Matsuyama ascended to 10th in the world rankings. However, since then, his rankings have experienced a downward trend until this recent surge.

Matsuyama achieved his highest-ever ranking in 2017 when he finished T2 at the US Open, climbing to World No. 2 in the OWGR after the top three players missed the cut. He holds the record for the highest ranking ever achieved by a Japanese golfer.

Who is leading at the OWGR after the February 18 update?

Despite a T10 finish at the Genesis Invitational, Scottie Scheffler continued to dominate the OWGR and is World No. 1 for the 40th straight week. Overall, he has completed 75 weeks as the top-ranked golfer. Although he has yet to win the event this year, he has already raked in four top tens in five starts so far.

Here is the latest OWGR as of February 18:

1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Rory Mcilroy
3. Jon Rahm
4. Viktor Hovland
5. Xander Schauffele
6. Patrick Cantlay
7. Wyndham Clark
8. Max Homa
9. Matt Fitzpatrick
10. Brian Harman
11. Ludvig Aberg
12. Tommy Fleetwood
13. Jordan Spieth
14. Collin Morikawa
15. Keegan Bradley
16. Tom Kim
17. Tyrrell Hatton
18. Sam Burns
19. Jason Day
20. Hideki Matsuyama
21. Sahith Theegala
22. Justin Thomas
23. Cameron Young
24. Tony Finau
25. Sepp Straka
26. Chris Kirk
27. Matthieu Pavon
28. Nick Taylor
29. Brooks Koepka
30. Russell Henley
31. Rickie Fowler
32. Will Zalatoris
33. Sungjae Im
34. Nicolai Hojgaard
35. Kurt Kitayama
36. Harris English
37. Eric Cole
38. Lucas Glover
39. J. T. Poston
40. Emiliano Grillo
41. Ryan Fox
42. Min Woo Lee
43. Byeong Hun An
44. Cameron Smith
45. Adam Hadwin
46. Denny McCarthy
47. Justin Rose
48. Adam Scott
49. Adrian Meronk
50. Corey Conners