Rankings Update: England's Evans takes over top spot
05 Mar 2014
by Benjamin Larsen of AmateurGolf.com
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There was a major change in the World Amateur Golf Rankings in late February as Stanford's Patrick Rodgers overtook reigning U.S. Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick for the top spot.
In the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com Player Rankings, there was a similar change but it didn't involve Rodgers. Instead, England's Ryan Evans pushed out Nathan Kimsey and holds the World No. 1 spot thanks to a stellar start to 2014. and holds a comfortable lead over Jones Cup winner Corey Conners, Jordan Niebrugge and Michael Weaver.
Evans, of course, has been on a tear in 2014. He won the Lake Macquarie Amateur, tied for ninth at the Australian Master of the Amateurs and was second at the Avondale Amateur Medal.
Former Walker Cup teammates Jordan Niebrugge and Michael Weaver share the top position in our U.S. Rankings.
Niebrugge, of course, had an unbelievable 2013 season. He won the U.S. Pub-Links, Wisconsin Amateur and Western Amateur in successive weeks. Weaver, of Cal, has remained one of the world's most consistent players for his four years with the Bears.
The biggest movers in the U.S. Rankings include Mike McCoy and Michael Johnson, who sit at Nos. 10 and 11, respectively, thanks to their solid finishes at the early-season Jones Cup.
Ashlan Ramsey of Clemson remains the top-ranked players in the U.S. Women's Rankings on the strength of her stellar 2013, in which she won the Women's Eastern Amateur and Western Amateur in addition to a host of Top 5 finishes.
In the Player of the Year races, Jarryd Felton (World), Austin Connelly and Sam Horsfield (U.S.), Michael Occi (Senior) and Annabel Dimmock (Women) are all atop the standings.