Say what you want about the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) at the moment, but it’s probably about to be bang on the money for the planet’s top three players—at least on 1 December 2025.
Tommy Fleetwood might not be striking a single golf shot in an official OWGR-counting event from now until the Dubai Invitational from 15-18 January 2026, but the reigning FedEx Cup champion will still move to World No.3 for the first time in his career in two weeks’ time.
The latest OWGR update was confirmed by stats specialist Nosferatu on X / Twitter.
Fleetwood, 34, will oust two-time major champion Xander Schauffele from third place on the OWGR when the rankings get updated on Monday 1 December.
As it stands, Schauffele has 6.0088 points and Fleetwood has 5.9415 points.
Neither Schauffele or Fleetwood is competing at this week’s RSM Classic on the PGA Tour, but according to Nosferatu it will mean Schauffele slips back and Fleetwood moves forward in two weeks’ time.
Fleetwood started 2025 in 10th.
To many golfers around the world – including ourselves here at GolfMagic – Fleetwood should already be the third best player in the world.
You could perhaps even argue on current form maybe even second.
Data Golf already do, as that’s where they already position Fleetwood.
When the OWGR does eventually update on 1 December, Fleetwood will move to third, behind Rory McIlroy in second and Scottie Scheffler in first.
Scheffler, who won two majors this season to move to four career major titles, is miles out in front in the OWGR with a gigantic 18.2197 points.
McIlroy, who completed the career grand slam in April, has 10.3000 points.
Scheffler has won six times this season, and he’ll tee it up in Tiger Woods‘ Hero World Challenge in two weeks’ time where he’ll seek a record third straight victory in the tournament at Albany.
McIlroy has won three times on the PGA Tour in 2025, highlighted by The Masters where he became just the sixth player in the history of the game to complete the career grand slam. He also won the Irish Open and a seventh career Race to Dubai on the DP World Tour.
Whether that’s all enough to win a first BBC SPOTY title before Christmas remains to be seen.
McIlroy is next in action at the Australian Open from 4-7 December, and that will mark his final event of the year.
Tommy Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood to move to World No.3 – the best ranking of his career
Fleetwood won his first PGA Tour title at the Tour Championship in August, a victory that saw him lift the season-long FedEx Cup.
He then top-scored for Luke Donald’s victorious European team with 4 points from five sessions at Bethpage Black in New York.
A month later, Fleetwood captured his eighth career DP World Tour title at the inaugural DP World India Championship.
With the PGA Tour monkey off his back now, and having chalked off another landmark achievement in the OWGR, the Englishman’s next target is without question a first major title in 2026.
There is no doubt to anyone in the world that Fleetwood is the best player in the game without a major to his name as we head into the new season.
Although Fleetwood is not playing in a Tour event from now until the third week of January, he will be in competitive mode at a revamped Skins Game on Friday 28 November before signing off his 2025 campaign.
Fleetwood will face off against his European Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry (who has replaced an injured Justin Thomas), Keegan Bradley and Schauffele.
Fleetwood is looking for a major breakthrough in 2026
OWGR Top 5 Verdict
Schauffele is of course still a very good golfer and while his form did drop off considerably earlier this season, the American did win his first title of the PGA Tour season with victory in his last start at the Baycurrent Classic.
Some will consider Schauffele is still a top-three player in world golf, and fair play if you do, but not for us here at GolfMagic.
The top three in our mind right now is Scheffler, McIlroy and Fleetwood.
We’d have Schauffele in the top five for sure though.
It remains to be seen whether LIV Golf soon receives OWGR points, especially having confirmed the breakaway league is expanding to 72 holes in 2026.
For us, Jon Rahm is the fourth best player in the world, and we’d have Schauffele in fifth.
Data Golf agrees with our top four, but interestingly has Ben Griffin, who won three times this season, in fifth.
Schauffele, for DG, is seventh.
They have Russell Henley in sixth.
Anyways, whatever you make of the OWGR right now, a new top three is in town.
Congratulations Tommy, a well deserved landmark achievement.