SI World Golf Rankings: A Bold Breakthrough Victory

Lee Hodges left no doubt while rolling to his first career PGA Tour title. See how high he climbed in the latest SI World Golf Rankings.

Jeff Ritter | Jul 31, 2023

SI World Golf Rankings: A Bold Breakthrough Victory /

Winning on the PGA Tour isn’t easy, and earning a career-first, breakthrough title is a milestone many Tour pros never crack.

But Lee Hodges earned his first victory in style on Sunday at the 3M Open, storming to a wire-to-wire, seven-shot victory. Oh, and he also dusted the tournament scoring record by three shots while finishing 24 under.

Hodges is the big mover in this week’s Sports Illustrated World Golf Rankings, our proprietary, data-driven list of the top men’s golfers in the world right now, which looks at performances across all pro tours, including LIV Golf. (Here’s how we do our calculations.)

This week features the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship along with a LIV Golf event at the Greenbrier, so look for more big swings next Monday. For now, the highlights from this week’s edition:

3 Risers in the SI World Golf Rankings

Lee Hodges – Up 39 Spots

This Week: 57

Last Week: 96

Skinny: Hard to envision a more resounding breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour. Next: He’s in the field at this week’s Wyndham Championship.

JT Poston – Up 14 Spots

J.T. Poston watches a shot at the 2023 U.S. Open. — Lindsey Wasson/AP

This Week: 58

Last Week: 72

Skinny: Rinsed his 72nd-hole approach shot while going for broke but still tied for runner-up at the 3M Open.

Beau Hossler – Up 9 Spots

Beau Hossler of the United States prepares to putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 30, 2023 in Blaine, Minnesota. — David Berding/Getty Images

This Week: 96

Last Week: 105

Skinny: T13 at the 3M, thanks in part to a remarkable Sunday birdie streak. Right back at it this week at the Wyndham.

3 Fallers in this week's SI World Golf Rankings

Justin Thomas – Down 3 Spots

Justin Thomas of the United States watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 28, 2023 in Blaine, Minnesota. — David Berding/Getty Images

This Week: 45

Last Week: 42

Skinny: Thomas isn’t the steepest drop but he’s notable for missing the cut at the 3M and continuing his slide on our list, which uses the most recent 12 months of player data in an effort to be more current than the Official World Golf Rankings. (Thomas is currently 26th in the OWGR.)

Sergio Garcia – Down 9 Spots

Sergio Garcia watches a tee shot in a qualifier for the 2023 British Open. — Alex Miceli/Sports Illustrated

This Week: 66

Last Week: 57

Skinny: No LIV event last week, so no chance to earn points on our list. Garcia is in the field at this week’s LIV Golf Greenbrier event.

Henrik Stenson - Down 13 Spots

Henrik Stenson looks over the seventh green during the first round of the season finale of the LIV Golf series at Trump National Doral. — John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports

This Week: 71

Last Week: 58

Skinny: Also DNP last week but will tee up at LIV Greenbrier this weekend.

Published Jul 31, 2023

JEFF RITTER

Jeff Ritter is the managing director of SI Golf. He has more than 20 years of sports media experience, and previously was the general manager at the Morning Read, where he led that business's growth and joined SI as part of an acquisition in 2022. Earlier in his career he spent more than a decade at SI and Golf Magazine, and his journalism awards include a MIN Magazine Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.