Brian Harman’s dramatic win at the Wells Fargo Championship netted him a spot in next year’s Masters, and his subsequent rise through the Official World Golf Rankings may have clinched his spot at Erin Hills next month.
Harman birdied the final hole at Eagle Point Golf Club to hold off Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez, earning his second career victory. The win moved him from No. 93 to No. 52 in the latest rankings, his first-ever appearance inside the top 60. The jump comes at an opportune time, given the fact that the top 60 in the OWGR on May 22 will be exempt into this year’s U.S. Open.
That’s a cutoff that no longer concerns Perez, as his runner-up finish took him from No. 58 to a career-best 42nd. He’s now a lock for Erin Hills and in great shape to earn an exemption into The Open, which will award spots to the OWGR top 50 on May 29.
A fourth-place finish moved Jon Rahm up one spot and past Alex Noren at No. 12, while Smylie Kaufman’s first top-10 finish of the season helped him jump 38 spots to No. 137 in the latest rankings.
The only change among the top 10 came at No. 6, where Sergio Garcia eked past Henrik Stenson without hitting a shot. Johnson remains No. 1, followed by Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama and Jordan Spieth. Garcia is now at No. 6, followed by Stenson, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas.
Still recovering from his most recent back surgery, Tiger Woods fell 16 more spots to No. 837 in the world.
