Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin’s one-shot victory in the Sicilian Open not only earned him €166,660 in prize money, it moved him into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The 36 year old rose from 116th to 84th after holding off Englishman Anthony Wall at Donnafugata Golf Resort and Spa for his third European Tour title, while Wall’s runner-up place propelled him from 206th to 154th.
Wall’s compatriot Justin Rose was in action on the other side of the Atlantic in the US PGA Tour’s Transition’s Championship, and while he was ultimately disappointed to finish tied fifth after a three over par 74 in the final round, he broke into the top 30 in the World Ranking, rising two places to 29th.
Gary Woodland finished five shots clear of Rose in Florida to take the title, and the American was the week’s biggest mover, rising 100 places to 53rd and giving himself a chance of making the field for the Masters Tournament, taking place in two weeks’ time.
Brandt Snedeker, also of the United States, moved up 18 places from 92nd to 74th as a result of his fourth place finish in the Transitions Championship, while Webb Simpson, runner-up by one shot, went from 181st to 103rd and Chris Couch, who was tied fifth, moved from 148th to 117th.
On the Sunshine Tour, Branden Grace finished tied sixth in the MTC Namibia PGA Championship to jump from 293rd to 280th.
There were no changes in the top ten, but that could change this week depending on results from the Open de Andalucia de Golf by Turkish Airlines and the US PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill. The top 50 in next week’s Official World Golf Ranking will earn an invitation to the Masters Tournament.
