Six players have shot at No. 1 ranking

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – This week’s U.S. Open promises to be one of the busier weeks for those who calculate the Official World Golf Ranking math.

Although Dustin Johnson retook the top spot from Justin Thomas last week with his victory at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, any one of six players – Johnson, Thomas, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy – could be the top-ranked player on Monday depending on the outcome at Shinnecock Hills.

It’s a particularly interesting scenario for Rose, who vaulted to third in the world thanks to his victory last month at the Fort Worth Invitational.

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“For me, winning major championships has been my dream as a kid,” Rose said. “World No. 1 is a really cool thing to say at some point in your career, but it’s not my primary focus. My primary focus is winning the tournaments that will get me there.”

Rose did, however, concede that he likes this week’s possibility, which essentially is a victory for the Englishman and Johnson finishing in a two-way tie for second place or worse.

“I couldn’t think of a better scenario than to win a major, to win a golf tournament, and to become world No. 1,” he said. “Memorial was an interesting one. I could have finished second there and become world No. 1. So it’s nicer to keep focus on the winning. It keeps things cleaner mentally. It keeps things simple.”