Hideki achieves best world rank in nearly a year; Willy Z nears API berth

Hideki Matsuyama climbed back inside the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking and achieved his best ranking in nearly a year after winning the Genesis Invitational on Sunday at Riviera Country Club.

Matsuyama jumped from No. 55 to No. 20 in the updated rankings. The last time he was ranked in the top 20 was the week prior to last March’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Matsuyama’s last victory before Sunday came at the 2022 Sony Open.

Will Zalatoris also made a big jump back into the top 50, going from No. 54 to No. 32. He also rose to No. 24 in FedExCup points, which currently slots him sixth on the Next 10 for the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a few weeks. According to Twitter’s @Robopz, Matthieu Pavon, Ludvig Åberg, Luke List and Grayson Murray have all clinched their Next 10 spots, no matter the results at this week’s Mexico Open and next week’s Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches. Christiaan Bezuidenhout is fifth, though not yet clinched, followed by Zalatoris, Justin Thomas, Thomas Detry, Mark Hubbard and Nicolai Højgaard. Thomas, at No. 22 in the OWGR, would qualify that way should he fall out of the Next 10.

The Swing 5 for API begins in Mexico, with that and the Cognizant comprising the aggregate ranking for Bay Hill.