Rory McIlroy could return to world No. 1 at TOUR Championship

Rory McIlroy could win an unprecedented fourth FedExCup this week. He also could return to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

McIlroy will become No. 1 this week if he wins the tournament and Scottie Scheffler finishes worse than solo fourth. The OWGR uses 72-hole scores this week, without FedExCup Starting Strokes, in its calculations.

Last year, McIlroy became the first player to finish a year holding the season-long points title on both the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour and the top spot in the OWGR. He also became the first person to win three FedExCups; Tiger Woods, who won the FedExCup in 2007 and 2009, is the only other player to win the title multiple times. McIlroy also shot the low 72-hole score at East Lake last year.

McIlroy was most recently ranked No. 1 on Feb. 5, 2023. Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler traded the top spot multiple times over the spring before Scheffler took over No. 1 after his runner-up at the PGA Championship. He has been atop the ranking ever since.

Scheffler, McIlroy and Rahm are the only three players to hold the No. 1 position since July 2021.