Champion Golfer of the Year Jordan Spieth moved to second in the official world golf rankings following his stunning win at Royal Birkdale on Sunday.
WATCH: The moment Spieth sealed the win
Spieth battled Matt Kuchar for 36 holes in Southport before a blitz on the closing stretch saw off Kuchar, leaving the 23-year-old to claim the Claret Jug.
The win moved Spieth top of the FedExCup rankings and second behind Dustin Johnson, who maintains a healthy lead at the top of the pile, with Hideki Matsuyama unseated by the Open champion into third.
Spieth’s defeated opponent in the final round, Matt Kuchar, has risen six spots to 12th behind Rickie Fowler, who drops down one spot to accommodate US Open winner Brooks Koepka.
SA’s top-ranked golfer remains Charl Schwartzel in 21st place, one ahead of Louis Oosthuizen.
Following his record-breaking 62, Branden Grace secured a top 10 finish at The Open, which had the added boost of a five-place jump in the rankings.
Chinese golf sensation Haotong Li joined the ’63 club’ on Sunday, which lifted him into the top 5 as he moved from 107 to 63 in the world.
Top 10 South African rankings:
Charl Schwartzel – 21
Louis Oosthuizen – 22
Branden Grace – 30
Dylan Frittelli – 84
Brandon Stone –97
Richard Sterne – 114
Dean Burmester – 127
Jaco Van Zyl – 139
George Coetzee – 144
Thomas Aiken – 181
