Scott New No. 1

Despite no victories in 2014 and taking last week off, Adam Scott replaced Tiger Woods as the No. 1-ranked player in the world in the latest World Golf Rankings that came out Monday.

Woods had been in the top position for 60 straight weeks. During his illustrious career, Woods has been No. 1 in the world for a total of 683 weeks. Woods has been rehabilitating following back surgery on March 31. Woods said Monday that he hopes to make a "summer return."

Scott is the 11th player to rise to the top spot without playing the prior week; Woods did it twice. Scott, who's playing in this week's Colonial, becomes the 17th player in history to reach No. 1.

Scott seemed to know that his ascension was inevitable during the Players Championship earlier in May. "I hope I'm keeping myself in a similar kind of position for awhile," he said then. "But I haven't really thought about it too much.

"I'm really just into the process of trying to get my game better all the time. Pretty much wins takes care of all the rankings and all the questions."

In seven starts this year the 33-year-old Australian has three top-10s and six top-25s. He's yet to miss a cut, with a third in the World Cup of Golf and the Arnold Palmer Invitational as his best finishes.

In 2013, Scott became the first Aussie in history to win the Masters; he followed that victory with another title in last August's Barclays.

Currently second in the ranking, Woods is followed in the top-10 by Henrik Stenson, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.

The top-five players are separated by less than one average point.

Scott is pleased with the accomplishment, but wants to win more majors. "I think No. 1 is a nice feather in the cap and if I was never world No. 1 when I was this close I'd have been disappointed," he said.

"But I'd also much rather win the U.S. Open and not be No. 1 at all this year. That's what it comes down to. There weren't rankings back in the day and guys won a lot of majors and that's how they're remembered."

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