Rankings expert defends system after criticism
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Tiger Woods would disappear out of the world's top 50 if golf's intricate rankings system was changed, the European Tour's statistics expert Ian Barker said on Tuesday.
Responding to Woods's former swing coach Butch Harmon's criticism of Lee Westwood's rise to No 1 despite the fact that he has never won a major, Barker said golf's two-year rolling rankings were transparent, fair and designed to avoid the "anniversary effect" often criticized in tennis.
Harmon lambasted the rankings on Monday after Westwood ended 14-time major winner Woods' reign at the top.
The American said the "system sucked" and that Germany's Martin Kaymer was the rightful heir to the throne.
Third-ranked Kaymer has won four tournaments this year, including the US PGA title and, if the rankings were worked out over a 12-month period as they are in tennis, the German would be top.
"Kaymer should be No 1," said Harmon, who now works with Phil Mickelson. "Did Westwood win a major this year, or any year? I think not."
Defending the system, Barker said: "What Butch is effectively saying is that the rankings should be done over a shorter period.
"If we just prepared it on the points won so far this year Woods would not be in the top 50 and Martin Kaymer would be comfortably the world No 1," Barker, the European Tour's director of information services, said.
"Anyway, Butch may well have his wish on Sunday because Martin will go to No 1 if he comes second in Valderrama.
"We all know how well Martin has played over the last two months and that Lee has been injured. But the American contenders haven't played either.
"Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson played at the Tour Champs, but Woods hasn't played since two weeks before that."
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