The world rankings were first introduced to golf in 1986, so the likes of Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson never had the opportunity to fight out the top spot.
It’s highly likely, of course, that all four would have looked down on their peers at some stage – and in Nicklaus’s case, for some quite considerable time.
But in the modern era, only 25 men have had the honour.
In the case of Tom Lehman, he got to the top spot for just one week.
Even more incredibly, perhaps, is the fact that Phil Mickelson’s greatest golf coincided with that of Tiger Woods, so he never topped the rankings, which he surely would have in other eras (he spent 270 weeks ranked second!).
Bear that number in mind as we look at the golfers who have spent the longest period at number one.
1. Tiger Woods – 683 weeks at number one
Winner of 82 PGA Tour titles (which ties the all-time record) and 15 major championships, only Jack Nicklaus rivals Woods as the greatest golfer ever.
He first topped the world ranking in June 1997, shortly after winning his first major, that year’s Masters, and coming off five wins in less than a year after turning professional.
He was, however, in the top spot just once a week, and over the next two years, he would exchange #1 with Ernie Els, Greg Norman and David Duval.
But from August 1999 to September 2004, he was supreme, spending 264 uninterrupted weeks as the World No.1.
His last spell at the top was a 60-week run from March 2013 to May 2014. His total of 683 weeks at the top is over double the next best effort.
2. Greg Norman – 331 weeks at number one
The Australian was just the third man to assume top spot after Bernhard Langer claimed it on the very first list and Seve Ballesteros quickly replaced him.
That first stretch at the top for Norman lasted 60 weeks from September 1986 and hinted at his power over the next decade.
He would play swapsies with Ballesteros for the rest of the 80s, and then Nick Faldo became his key rival.
Norman would end his career with 20 PGA Tour wins, two of them majors, but both tallies should have been higher.
Nonetheless, he was a titan of the game, and his longest run at the top came between June 1995 and April 1997 when he was #1 for 96 weeks.
3. Scottie Scheffler – 151 weeks and counting
The current World No. 1 is an awesome winning machine. His tally of 17 PGA Tour wins is fast closing in on Norman, and his count of four majors has already usurped the Australian’s.
He first hit top spot in the rankings in March 2022, spent 30 weeks there, conceded it to Rory McIlroy for 16 weeks, returned briefly, had Jon Rahm pinch it off him twice for short periods, and now, since May 2023, has been unrivalled.
He’s into three figures for weeks at the top in this current run, and, such is his lead over the rest of the world, it will be maintained for some time to come.
He has a long, long way to go to catch the top two, but he might be up to at least passing Norman in the future.
4. Dustin Johnson – 135 weeks at number one
If this were a pub quiz question, then the identity of the fourth man in this list might have tripped up many.
But yes, DJ has a great record against his peers, and it started when he spent over a year (62 weeks) as the World No. 1 when he reached the summit for the first time in February 2017.
Thereafter, Justin Thomas (briefly), then Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka (both concertedly), and latterly Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, interrupted his time at the top, but he was a constant until his final spell.
He spent 43 weeks on top from August 2020 to June 2021 in his penultimate time as the best in the world – and then had one week there again in July 2021.
He was a 24-time PGA Tour winner and landed two major championships.
5. Rory McIlroy – 122 weeks at number one
Famously a golfer who has great moments and bad episodes, it is perhaps no surprise that the Northern Irishman has never quite dominated, given that rankings reward consistency.
He has won 29 times on the PGA Tour and has completed the Career Grand Slam in the majors (winning five of them in total).
He will rate those achievements above the world rankings, but he might perhaps have sustained to spot a little more often.
He was first there in March 2012 for two weeks and played pass the parcel with Luke Donald for the summer. From August 2012, he was on top for 32 weeks before Tiger Woods snatched it off him.
From August 2014, he spent 54 weeks as #1, which remains his longest spell at the top. He was last there after Scheffler’s first spell either side of the New Year 2023 for 11 weeks.
He’s the top European in this list, but perhaps down on what many might expect.
And who came next?
Nick Faldo was sixth with 97 weeks, followed by Seve Ballesteros (61), Luke Donald (56 but no major win), Jon Rahm (52) and Jason Day (51) to fill out the top 10.
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