Rory McIlroy Rises To No.3 In The World, Leads British Open Odds
June 27th, 2011-
Just over a week removed from a dominating performance at the 2011 U.S Open at Congressional, Rory McIlroy moved into the No.3 slot in the Official World Golf Rankings on Monday, solidifying the top-three spots in the world owned by British players.
It is the first time that this has occurred since the rankings have been formulated 25 years ago, but has been fueled by the solid play of the international players from around the world.
McIlroy, now behind only Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, won by eight shots at U.S Open eight days ago, leading wire-to-wire.
“We’ve fed off each other’s success,” McIlroy said of the rankings. We’re working hard to beat one another and strive to be better than everyone else.”
McIlroy has moved up seven spots in the world rankings since beginning 2011 at No.10 in the world. He appeared to be on the way up the rankings back in April at the Masters, when he controlled as three-shot lead going into final round before carding an 80 on Sunday to finish 15th.
But he put the ghosts of Augusta behind him at Congressional, and won his first Major championship.
Now, McIlroy is at the forefront of talk to win the British Open in two weeks from Royal St. Georges, with Tiger Woods still rehabbing his injured knee and Achilles tendon. But the 22-year-old knows that Woods getting back to competition is good for the game.
“It’s a good time for me to win things when he’s not playing his best,” McIlroy remarked. “The first thing for Tiger is to get healthy and see what happens from there. I don’t know if anyone can answer if he’ll get back to where he was 10 years ago, but a lot of people would like to see him back on the course.”
McIlroy is set at 5/1 on British Open Betting Lines, leading the way on the list of favorites at Bodog Sportsbook. Just behind McIlroy is Westwood, set at 9/1, with Woods coming in at 12/1 despite it still being up in the air on whether or not he will be in the field at Royal St. Georges.
The 2011 British Open begins Thursday, July 14 with coverage being picked up by ESPN Thursday and Friday, while ABC picks up weekend coverage.
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- John Daly, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods Among The Leaders At British Open
- Rory McIlroy Wins 2011 U.S Open In Record Fashion
- Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood Headline Odds To Win 2011 British Open
- Tiger Woods To Miss AT&T National Next Week, British Open Still In Doubt
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