Nobody Supplants Tiger at No. 1


Despite still being inactive and in rehab for his back surgery in late March, Tiger Woods remained the top-ranked player in the newest World Golf Ranking.

Several players had a chance to overtake Woods, whose return to competition is still up in the air. No. 2 Adam Scott needed to finish 16th or better in the Players Championship to move past Woods. But after making the weekend cut of even-par 144 right on the number, the 33-year-old Aussie closed with rounds of 69 and 73 to end up tied for 38th.

"I've had a couple of good chances this year already and haven't been able to pull it off, not because it's been weighing on my mind, but I just wasn't sharp enough playing the last couples rounds at a few tournaments,'' Scott said before the Players.

Henrik Stenson could have supplanted with Woods with a top-six finish, but the 38-year-old Swede ended up sharing 34th at 3-under 285 at TPC Sawgrass.

Bubba Watson also had an opportunity to reach No. 1 for the first time in his career with a solo runner-up finish at the Players. But the reigning Masters champion closed with a 76 to end up tied for 48th.

Finally, with a victory Sunday fifth-ranked Matt Kuchar could have replaced Woods. But the 35-year-old from Georgia, who won the RBC Heritage on April 20, tied for 17th, seven shots behind Players champion Martin Kaymer.

Kaymer's win - his first since the 2011 WGC-HSBC Champions - moved the 29-year-old German up to 28th in the World Golf Ranking, which was released Monday.