Kaminski reverses downward trend in rankings with big win

Sep 25, 2023 | Featured, Rankings

Rupert Kaminski might not be in South Africa’s top 20 according to the Official World Golf Ranking, but the latest list from that body saw him climb 128 places after his triumph at the PGA Championship at St Francis Links at the weekend.

Kaminski’s maiden Sunshine Tour title was a big one, and it saw him move to 845^th on the list after a run of results that saw him slipping a long way from his career-high of 467^th. That loftier perch was achieved after his share of sixth in the Sishen Classic in week 22 of 2022.

He ended 2022 in 606^th, and 2023 has been something of an incessant downward slide to his low last week of 973^rd.

Extraordinarily, the rankings show him to be just the 56^th-best South Africa – perhaps an indication of how unwise using the flawed list as an infallible yardstick would be.

South Africa’s top-ranked golfer according to the list remains Thriston Lawrence, who was down four places to 89^th after his share of 35^th in the DP World Tour’s Cazoo Open de France at the weekend.

Zander Lombard was the best finisher from South Africa in that tournament, and, extraordinarily, his share of 10^th sees him up just one place to 259^th. He’s South Africa’s 10^th-best player according to the rankings.

Charl Schwartzel fall out of South Africa’s top 20, his 20^th-place finish in LIV Golf=s Chicago tournament at the weekend good for nothing. His place at 20^th was taken by Jacques Kruyswijk who was down five spots to 405^th.

Louis Oosthuizen is the next LIV player who will fall out of the top 20. He was down 14 places this week to 389^th.

South Africa’s top 20: