Jon Rahm believes he is currently the “best player in the world” after a red-hot streak of three tournament wins in five starts, and has questioned the methodology of calculating the golf rankings where he remains number five in the world.
The former US Open champion won the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii over the weekend with a comeback for the ages when he overhauled Collin Morikawa’s seven-shot lead in the final round.
Having also won the Spanish Open and DP World Tour Championship, former number one Rahm was hoping to at least move past Patrick Cantlay into fourth spot but still finds himself in fifth place.
“Since the pla-yoffs... I’ve won three times and I don’t even get close to him. So I’m trying to understand what’s going on,” Rahm said.
“Had they not changed the world ranking points (system) I would have been pretty damn close (to world number one) right now. But in my mind, I feel like since August I’ve been the best player in the world.
“Earlier in the year clearly Scottie (Scheffler) was that player, then Rory (McIlroy) was that player, and I feel like right now it’s been me.
“Anybody, any given year can get a hot three, four months and get to that spot.”
Last year, Rahm had described the revamped world rankings system as “laughable” when priority was placed on the depth of the field rather than the ranks of the players involved.
McIlroy remains at the top of the rankings followed by Masters champion Scheffler, Open winner Cameron Smith and Cantlay.
Rahm still walked away pocketing $2.7mn from the $15mn purse in Hawaii.

Latest World Rankings

Rank Country Golfer Earnings Events
1 NIR Rory McIlroy $1,890,000 46
2 USA Scottie Scheffler $969,895 53
3 AUS Cameron Smith — 39
4 USA Patrick Cantlay $953,000 39
5 ESP Jon Rahm $3,162,000 45
6 USA Xander Schauffele $297,000 44
7 USA Will Zalatoris $292,500 45
8 USA Justin Thomas $251,763 46
9 ENG Matthew Fitzpatrick $558,506 51
10 NOR Viktor Hovland $940,430 53