Premier Event Champion Matsuyama Climbs from 20th to 17th in World Rankings

Three-Spot Jump with Hero World Challenge Victory
Scheffler, McIlroy, and Fleetwood Hold Top Three
Im Sungjae 42nd, Kim Siwoo 47th, An Byeonghun 93rd

Hideki Matsuyama, the leading figure in Japanese men's golf, has climbed to 17th place in the world rankings.

In the official men's golf weekly rankings announced on December 8 (local time), Matsuyama earned 3.89 points, moving up three spots from 20th place last week. He accumulated ranking points by winning the Hero World Challenge, a premier event on the PGA Tour, held the previous day at Albany Golf Course (par 72, 7,449 yards) in New Providence, Bahamas, with a total prize fund of 5 million dollars. This marks his second victory at this tournament, following his win in 2016. The winner's prize is 1 million dollars (approximately 1.47 billion won).

Hideki Matsuyama is delighted in front of the trophy immediately after winning the Hero World Challenge. Bahamas=AFP Yonhap News

This tournament is hosted by "golf emperor" Tiger Woods of the United States. Although it is not a regular tour event, world ranking points are awarded. This year, only the top 20 ranked players competed over four days to determine the champion.

Scottie Scheffler (United States), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Tommy Fleetwood (England), Xander Schauffele, and Russell Henley (both United States) maintained their positions in the top five. Alex Noren (Sweden), who finished runner-up after a playoff at the Hero World Challenge, jumped five spots to 12th place. Among Korean players, Im Sungjae is ranked 42nd, Kim Siwoo is 47th, An Byeonghun is 93rd, and Kim Joo-hyung is 102nd.