Trevor Immelman to be next Official World Golf Ranking chair
Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, will become chairman of the Official World Golf Ranking on April 10, the organization’s governing board announced Tuesday.
Immelman, 45, will replace Peter Dawson, who has held the position since 2016.
“The Official World Golf Ranking has always been a huge part of my life and professional career,” Immelman said in a statement. “Growing up in South Africa and falling in love with the game as a youngster, the ranking system was how I tracked and followed my favorite players and understood who the best players in the world were.
“Then, as I turned professional, my focus on the rankings intensified, as I knew being in the top 50 allowed me to play in the biggest tournaments around the world. I am extremely honored to follow in the footsteps of Sir Michael Bonallack and Peter Dawson as chairman, and I look forward to working closely with board members to ensure OWGR remains committed to its mission.”
An 11-time winner around the world, including twice on the PGA Tour, Immelman reached as high as No. 12 in the world in 2006. His biggest victory came at the 2008 Masters, when he finished 3 strokes ahead of Tiger Woods.
Immelman was captain of the International team at the 2022 Presidents Cup and currently serves as the lead golf analyst at CBS Sports.
Immelman is the third OWGR chairman since 2004.
Under Dawson’s watch, the OWGR expanded the number of tours it recognized from 16 to 24. In August 2022, the OWGR also modernized its mechanisms for ranking golfers around the world.
“It has been a privilege to serve as chairman of OWGR and to work with the board to serve men’s professional golf,” Dawson said in a statement. “OWGR provides an important framework and is continuing to evolve and improve while remaining true to its mission. I wish Trevor the very best and I’m sure he will carry out the role with distinction.”
The OWGR also announced that starting this year, tournaments with low-field ratings will have new points distributions, which will award 50% more points to winners and 26% more to the top-five finishers. The OWGR said the changes will allow more upward movement in the rankings for top golfers in those events.
Starting this year, the PGA Tour of Taiwan will also be recognized by OWGR.
Source: espn.com