The latest PGA Tour event had major significance for The Masters, with the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) after the Houston Open earning exemptions into the major championship.
Gary Woodland won the Houston Open, claiming his first PGA Tour title since winning the US Open in 2019.
But there were many impressive and significant performances throughout the leaderboard at Memorial Park in Texas, where Woodland beat Nicolai Hojgaard by five shots.
The OWGR has now been updated, with Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele among the players changing their ranks.
Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele swap places in OWGR top 10
After winning the Valspar Championship last week, Fitzpatrick climbed nine places to sixth in the OWGR, but he’s now gone one better.
The Englishman is into his career-high rank of fifth, while his fellow PGA Tour player Schauffele has dropped one place to sixth.
There is another change further down the top 10, with Chris Gotterup overtaking his fellow American Russell Henley.
The former is now ninth in the world ranking and the latter 10th, while Akshay Bhatia climbing two spots to 20th is the only other change in the top 20.
| Rank | Last week | Player | Total points |
| 1 | 1 | Scottie Scheffler | 616.46800 |
| 2 | 2 | Rory McIlroy | 378.81365 |
| 3 | 3 | Cameron Young | 246.40787 |
| 4 | 4 | Tommy Fleetwood | 265.57164 |
| 5 | 6 | Matt Fitzpatrick | 240.89170 |
| 6 | 5 | Xander Schauffele | 193.33885 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Rose | 211.31843 |
| 8 | 8 | Collin Morikawa | 199.13266 |
| 9 | 10 | Chris Gotterup | 242.81278 |
| 10 | 9 | Russell Henley | 182.55443 |
Gary Woodland soars OWGR after Houston Open win
This week’s most significant OWGR mover is undoubtedly Woodland, who has soared the rankings following his emotional victory in Houston.
The American has climbed from 139th all the way up to 51st, representing his highest ranking in five years.
Woodland, who had brain surgery 30 months ago, is now eligible for all of the PGA Tour’s remaining elite events this season, including The Masters.
He represents an inspiration to the sporting world and beyond, unsurprisingly leaving many, including himself, very emotional in Houston.
| Year | Wins | Tournaments |
| 2026 | 1 | Texas Children’s Houston Open |
| 2019 | 1 | US Open |
| 2018 | 1 | Waste Management Phoenix Open |
| 2013 | 1 | Reno-Tahoe Open |
| 2011 | 1 | Transitions Championship |
Meanwhile, plenty of high-profile names currently find themselves outside the OWGR top 50, including Adam Scott (53rd), Jordan Spieth (63rd), and Rickie Fowler (65th).
Flying the flag for LIV Golf in the rankings are the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, in 24th and 29th respectively.
And after finishing as runner-up at the Houston Open, Hojgaard has climbed 11 places to 36th, while Min Woo Lee is up to 25th after finishing T3.
Read more:
Shane Lowry follows Rory McIlroy lead with Augusta trip ahead of Masters
Tommy Fleetwood reacts as Gary Woodland wins the Texas Children’s Houston Open
Shane Lowry says why he is pleased despite finishing outside the top 25 at the Houston Open
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