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Bernhard Langer: 06/04/86 – 20/04/86 3 WEEKS
The Official World Golf Ranking began in 1986 with Germany’s best on top of the world, coupling wins in Europe in the year leading up to the launch of the rankings with major success at the Masters Tournament a year previously in April 1985.
Greg Norman: 14/09/86 – 15/11/87 62 WEEKS
Australia’s finest golfing export began over a decade of World Ranking dominance in 1986 with his first spell as number one. Wins on the PGA Tour and in Europe were coupled with a maiden Major title at The Open leaving ‘The Great White Shark’ on top.
Seve Ballesteros: 27/04/86 – 07/09/86 20 WEEKS
One of Europe’s all time greats the Spaniard was already winning around the world. With Majors and numerous other wins in the build up to 1986 he found himself on top here in the first of a few spells as world number one.
Seve Ballesteros: 22/11/87 1 WEEK
Six wins in Europe during 1986 were not enough for this Spanish great to retake the top spot from his Australian rival. However, solid play in ’87 and a win in Europe were enough to see him return to number one. However his return, although sweet, was awfully short with only a week back at the summit.
Greg Norman: 29/11/87 – 23/10/88 48 WEEKS
‘The Shark’ did not take long to bite back at Ballesteros, only relinquishing his crown to the Spaniard for a week as he returned to the number one spot in November 1987. He would remain there for the best part of a year with wins either side of the Atlantic and back in his native Australia as he established himself as one of the game’s greats.
Greg Norman: 06/11/88 1 WEEK
In what was an epic see-saw battle between Norman and Seve the Australian returned once again to the top of the golfing world. However this time it would be him tasting the bitter medicine that he had so regularly dished out to his Spanish challenger remaining on top for a solitary week.
Seve Ballesteros: 30/10/88 1 WEEK
The Spaniard’s second spell of a week as number one came on the back of four wins in Europe, one in America and his fifth Major title and third Open Championship. This really was a spell worthy of being ranked best in the world but once again was only good enough for a week on top.
Seve Ballesteros: 13/11/88 – 19/03/89 19 WEEKS
In his penultimate spell as the world’s best the swashbuckling Spaniard’s fine play in 1988 was finally enough to see him stay atop the rankings for longer than a week. This must have been welcome relief for Seve who would have enjoyed keeping Norman at bay for a least a little while.
Greg Norman: 26/03/89 1 WEEK
In a reversal of fortunes Norman was once again only able to surpass Seve for a solitary week as number one, continuing the form that saw him become one of the game’s leading players.
Seve Ballesteros: 02/04/89 – 13/08/89 20 WEEKS
Back on top, the Spaniard was once again number one in the world, although this would be the last time he would find himself at the summit of the game. Two victories in Europe in this period kept him on top but it would now be time for Seve to pass the World Ranking baton onto his other European counterparts after a total of 61 weeks as the world’s best golfer.
Greg Norman: 02/08/89 – 26/08/90 54 WEEKS
The Australian great once again returned to the top of the game in the summer of 1989 having lost a play-off to Mark Calcavecchia at the Open Championship a month earlier. Three wins in America kept him as the best in the game but he would soon face a number of new challengers for his top spot.
Nick Faldo: 02/09/90 – 07/10/90 6 WEEKS
Europe’s most successful player entered the fray in 1990, taking Seve’s mantle as title challenger to Norman’s ranking dominance. Faldo had been winning in Europe for over a decade, including two Majors, but 1990 saw him win his second Masters and Open Championship titles and finally take his place atop the rankings.
Greg Norman: 14/10/90 – 27/01/91 16 WEEKS
Norman once again returned to the top in the winter of 1990 for his sixth spell as world number one. There were no wins during this period but his always consistent play saw him overtake Faldo at the pinnacle of the game.
Nick Faldo: 03/02/91 – 31/03/91 9 WEEKS
England’s leading player re-took the number one ranking early in the year as the two jostled for supremacy. Some may question the fashion of the period looking at the picture to the right, but there was no questioning Faldo’s play, as he was once again found himself ranked as the world’s best.
Ian Woosnam: 07/04/91 – 15/03/92 50 WEEKS
Only the fifth player to reach the number one ranking, the diminutive Welshman played with huge heart. He had already racked up over ten wins in Europe by now and on the back of his first PGA Tour triumph Woosnam headed to Augusta National where he claimed his one and only Major title. Further wins followed in Europe and saw Wales’ best golfer stay on top of the world for almost a year, the longest period achieved by anyone other than Greg Norman at this time
Fred Couples: 22/03/92 1 WEEK
Two wins in March backed up a further two the previous year and saw the amenable fans’ favourite attain number one status. This spell only lasted a week but the American would return almost immediately on the back of his first Major success.
Nick Faldo: 29/03/92 1 WEEK
The Englishman leapfrogged Couples for a single week in March. His third spell as number one was definitely short lived but it would not be his last visit to the top of the game.
Fred Couples: 05/04/92 – 12/07/92 15 WEEKS
The long, lazy action of Couples was always great to watch and it reaped great rewards in 1992. He returned to the number one spot sporting the green jacket that signifies Masters success, but this would be Fred’s final trip to the top with a total of 16 weeks as number one.
Nick Faldo: 19/07/92 – 30/01/94 81 WEEKS
The fifth of six Major titles was the catalyst for a spell of World Ranking dominance by one of the game’s all-time greats as he spent a year and a half on top of the world. The Open Championship title in the summer of 1992 was coupled with a further five victories and saw Europe’s most successful ever golfer prove his credentials as such. This would be Faldo’s final spell as number one, spending a total of 97 weeks at the pinnacle of the game and guaranteeing him status as one of its best.
Greg Norman: 06/02/94 – 07/08/94 27 WEEKS
After over three years Norman once again returned to the spot he had held so dominantly during a number of spells since 1986. It was Norman’s second Open Championship victory in 1993 that laid the foundation for another surge to the top in a period that also saw him pick up the Players’ Championship.
Nick Price: 14/08/94 – 11/06/95 44 WEEKS
The seventh visitor to the top of the game came off the back of consecutive Major Championship victories at the Open and PGA Championships. This was backed up by four other victories on the PGA Tour and saw him become the world’s best for a few months short of a year.
Greg Norman: 18/06/95 – 13/04/97 96 WEEKS
The Australian returned to the top of the game in 1995 after wins in Europe and America both before and during a period where he dominated the ranking as number one for a then record 96 weeks. Norman was nearing the end of his dominance but would still have a role to play in the battle for top spot in the years to come.
Tom Lehman: 20/04/97 1 WEEK
Almost a year after his break through Major triumph the American rose to the top of the game in April 1997. However he would only be there a week, never to return to such heady heights on the ranking.
Greg Norman: 27/04/97 – 08/06/97 7 WEEKS
Another trip to the game’s summit saw Norman spend almost another two months as number one as a new breed of young challengers were emerging to take him on at his own game.
Tiger Woods: 15/06/97 1 WEEK
The birth of a legend, June 1997 saw Tiger’s first trip to number one. Few would have expected the dominance which was to follow as he dipped his toe in the waters of number one status. It would not be long before he returned to the summit.
Ernie Els: 22/06/97 1 WEEK
In a year of number one debutants US Open specialist Ernie Els took the top spot a week after his second victory in that championship. But as Tiger the week before, he could only hang on for a solitary week.
Greg Norman: 29/06/97 1 WEEK
In a rich period for world ranking competition, Norman was the third consecutive number one to only hold the illustrious tag for a week. This would be the Australian’s penultimate trip to the top before handing over his crown to a certain T. Woods.
Greg Norman: 07/09/97 – 04/01/98 18 WEEKS
After almost 14 years in and around the top spot on the ranking this would be the ‘Great White Shark’s’ final stint as number one. In total he spent an incredible 331 weeks at number one in the ranking and held the record at the time for the most consecutive weeks at the summit with a run of 91.
Tiger Woods: 06/07/97 – 31/08/97 9 WEEKS
In his second taste of top spot, Woods held on for a little longer but was yet to realise the dominance that was soon to follow. 1997 saw his record win at the Masters Tournament as well as three other PGA Tour victories that gave him the number one ranking.
Tiger Woods: 11/01/98 – 05/04/98 13 WEEKS
Woods once again dipped in to the top spot for a few months as his four wins in 1997 and one at the start of 1998 were enough to keep the others at bay.
Ernie Els: 12/04/98 – 03/05/98 4 WEEKS
The ‘Big Easy’ once again found himself as world number one in 1998 with a month atop the rankings. Wins at home and at Arnold Palmer’s tournament at Bay Hill were sufficient for the South African to go top once more.
Tiger Woods: 10/05/98 1 WEEK
Woods clawed his way to the top of the ranking, but once again it was only for a week after victory at the Bell South Classic on the PGA Tour.
Ernie Els: 17/05/98 –07/06/98 4 WEEKS This was Ernie’s final trip to the top of the game so far, as he was one of the few to taste number one status with the game moving closer towards the era of Tiger striped dominance.
Tiger Woods: 14/06/98 –21/03/99 41 WEEKS
Finally one of the game’s greats realised his potential in topping the rankings for the best part of a year. Wins in Europe and in his native California saw Tiger get a taste of the kind of dominance he would wield in the coming years.
David Duval: 28/03/99 –27/06/99 14 WEEKS
This would be Tiger’s final challenger for the top spot for some five years. Duval coupled four wins on the PGA Tour in 1998 with a similar feat in the first four months of the following season, including the Players’ Championship, to topple Woods and claim the number one ranking.
Tiger Woods: 04/07/99 – 01/08/99 5 WEEKS
A first Memorial title at the tournament started by Jack Nicklaus alongside another PGA Tour win in the months of June and July saw Tiger reclaim top spot for just over a month. It would be later in August that he would start a period of ranking dominance never seen before.
David Duval: 08/08/99 1 WEEK
This would be this Americans last trip to the top of the ranking with a solitary week giving him a total of 15 as the best player in the game. He would win on the PGA Tour and claim an Open title in the years to come but these were not enough to topple the mighty Tiger.
Tiger Woods: 15/08/99 – 29/08/04 264 WEEKS
Until now the record for consecutive weeks at number one was Greg Norman’s 96 from 1995-97 but Tiger would obliterate this record with unprecedented dominance of the ranking. In this time he would claim seven major titles, eight WGC wins, 15 other PGA Tour victories and three European Tour tournaments.
Vijay Singh: 06/09/04 – 27/02/05 26 WEEKS
As he turned 40 the Big Fijian really hit his stride winning nine times on the PGA Tour in 2004 including his third Major title at the PGA Championship. A further win in Hawaii at the Sony Open in early 2005 would keep him atop the ranking for 26 weeks before Tiger bit back at him.
Tiger Woods: 06/03/05 – 13/03/05 2 WEEKS
A win at Doral in March saw Tiger return to the top step of the golfing world, but for a mere two weeks, before his Fijian challenger reclaimed the number one spot.
Vijay Singh: 20/03/05 – 03/04/05 3 WEEKS
More solid play from Fiji’s best golfer saw him leapfrog Tiger once more to add another three weeks onto his world number one total.
Tiger Woods: 10/04/05 – 15/05/05 6 WEEKS
With his fourth Masters victory Tiger was back on top for another six weeks. There would only be one more interruption from Singh before another unprecedented spell of dominance from one of the game’s all time greats.
Vijay Singh: 22/05/05 – 05/06/05 3 WEEKS
A further two wins in April and May at the Shell Houston Open and Wachovia Championship saw Singh climb back to the top of the game. It would be the Fijian’s final trip to number one, amassing a total of 32 weeks at number one across three spells at the top of the ranking. He would go on to win many more tournaments in the years to come but this was not enough to get him back above the ever impressive Woods.
Tiger Woods: 12/06/05 – Present* 270 WEEKS*
After returning to the top of the game Woods once again began a spell of unrivalled brilliance. Six Major titles, eight WGCs, 12 other PGA Tour wins and three European victories to date have kept him on top for even longer than his previous brilliant best.
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Sanford, FL - RIFE Putters announced today that they'll be releasing four new highly anticipated Island Series putters this Fall. The Aruba, Trinidad, Montserrat, and Cayman Brac are the latest introductions in RIFE's successful Island Series of putters.
These four models were first introduced in January at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show, but are now in production and will be available in stores in the next 30 to 60 days. All of these new Island Series putters feature RIFE's patented RollGrooveTM Technology and Lie-Aline System.
RIFE Putters, LLC is the true innovator behind horizontal grooved face putter technology with a patent on specifically sized grooves since 1997. These precisely spaced grooves allow the putter to gently press into the cover of the ball and grip and lift it into an instant forward roll. Guerin Rife states, "just as grooves in irons help control spin so do grooves in a putter face." Other companies are now trying to imitate this patented technology but the spacing of the grooves is the true key to the gripping and lifting effect of grooved face putter technology. Horizontal RollGrooveTM faced putters create the truest "no skid" roll in golf no matter where you hit the ball on the putter face.
For more information on RIFE Putters or their product lineup for 2010 visit their website at www.rifeputters.com
Wilson Staff is introducing the newest edition of its “Di” family of distance irons, with modifications and updates in the Di11 iron.
The modified exoskeleton in the Di11 irons pulls weight low to promote a higher ball flight and back from the club face for better head stability and straighter ball flight. The ultra-wide sole is designed to improve turf interaction, allowing it to glide over tight lies and get through heavy rough.
Weight is also removed from the perimeter of the face and inside the cavity towards the heel to create a large, unsupported face. The urethane medallion from the Di9 was removed to pick up weight and replaced by a coating of lightweight elastomer used on the underside of bridges to dampen vibration from traffic.
Di11
A wider sweet spot and perimeter weighting, combined with the torsional stability of its wide tip shaft combine in the objective of more forgiveness and greater accuracy. Meanwhile, lightweight shaft options combine with the low, wide head design with the goal of more faster clubhead speed.
Wilson’s patented wide-tip shaft technology is offered on the stock set of Di11 irons to negate the twisting on off-centre hits for straighter, longer ball flight.
Also, the patent-pending Half-and-Half Shaft Technology that is also available was pioneered in baseball bats and features graphite under the grip through the mid-section to remove weight from under the hands and dampen vibration.
Steel is used from the mid-section through the tip to provide low torque and consistency for straighter shots in a 76-gram HNH shaft.
The Di11 irons also has a thinner top line.
“We classify the largest segment of the golfing population as D or distance players, who are looking to hit the ball further and straighter,” said Bob Thurman, global director of research and development for Wilson Golf.
“The Di11 not only meets these needs, it exceeds them. As we like to say: once you hit it, you get it.”
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A statement on tigerwoods.com said: "Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods confirmed today that they have divorced. Judgment was entered today in Bay County (Florida) Circuit Court dissolving the marriage. The Judgment provides for shared parenting of their two children."
The couple also issued a joint statement, focusing on their 3-year-old daughter, Sam, and 1-year-old son, Charlie.
"We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future. While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us. Once we came to the decision that our marriage was at an end, the primary focus of our amicable discussions has been to ensure their future well-being. The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern."
Woods has been the focus of worldwide media attention since his Thanksgiving night car accident and subsequent sex scandals.
Nordegren and Woods were married in October of 2004 after meeting at the 2001 British Open. When they met, Nordegren was working as an au pair for Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik. After Woods's infidelities became public, Parnevik was critical of Woods, saying he regretted introducing Woods to Nordegren.
The financial terms of the divorce were not made public. Nordegren is widely believed to have signed a prenuptial agreement before marrying Woods. In Florida, divorce proceedings are part of the public record. However, if Woods and Nordegren agreed to a private settlement, those details would remain confidential.
Fortune Magazine reported in June of 2009 that Woods, 34, has earned $1 billion in his career from winnings and product endorsements, but Woods disputed that figure. Woods has won more than $93 million in his 14 years on the PGA Tour. In 2010 alone,Sports Illustrated estimated Woods's off-course income to be $70 million.
After appearing to lead a charmed life for 14 years as a PGA Tour pro, Woods has been beset by professional and personal problems since his car accident in November. In addition to his marital troubles, Woods has struggled on the golf course since returning to competitive play at the Masters in April. While he finished tied for fourth at the Masters, Woods missed the cut at the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte and withdrew from the Players Championship, citing a sore neck. He also finished tied for the fourth at the U.S. Open, but was a non-factor at the British Open (T23) and PGA Championship (T28). He also parted ways with Hank Haney, his swing coach for the last six years.
Nordegren, 30, was born and raised in Sweden, the daughter of Thomas Nordegren and Barbro Holmberg. Her father is a prominent journalist in Sweden and her mother is a high-ranking government official. She has a twin sister, Josefine, and an older brother, Axel. Nordegren is a very private figure on the PGA Tour — "like Greta Garbo," one observer said — and has generally declined interview requests.
In a televised statement in February, Woods made a public apology to his wife.
"Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior," Woods said from PGA Tour headquarters in Ponta Vedra Beach, Fla. "As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us."
Nordegren was not present for the public statement, nor did she attend his return to competitive golf at the Masters in April. Woods has declined to discuss his marriage at media conferences, calling it a "private matter." In an interview with Woods in March, ESPN's Tom Renaldi asked Woods why he got married. Woods responded, "Because I love her."
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