LONDON—T&T-born international golf star Stephen Ames has fallen to 55th in the latest men’s world golf rankings and American Jim Furyk has returned to the top ten. In Week 49 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) released Monday, Ames slid four places from the No51 spot he held the previous week. Ames, who began the year ranked No 36 in the world, has spent almost all of the past four months outside the top 50.

He had vaulted back into the top 50 last month—for only two weeks—after a victory at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic in Florida. The US$846,000 Classic triumph on November 15, his only tournament win this year, had propelled Ames 22 places up from 71st to 49th. Meanwhile, Furyk ended more than two years without a victory when he holed key putts on the final two holes for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory from Graeme McDowell in the Chevron World Challenge last weekend.

After an absence of just two weeks from the top ten, Furyk is in the top frame again at No 6. Tiger Woods remains the firm World No 1 ahead of fellow Americans Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker. Woods, in the top spot for 235 consecutive weeks and 577 weeks in his career, is not expected to play again for the remainder of the year following injuries he suffered in a mysterious single car crash outside his home in Florida recently. (CMC)

World Golf Rankings

1 Tiger Woods (USA)
2 Phil Mickelson (USA)
3 Steve Stricker (USA)
4 Lee Westwood (ENG)
5 Padraig Harrington (IRL)
6 Jim Furyk (USA)
7 Henrik Stenson (SWE)
8 Paul Casey (ENG)
9 Kenny Perry (USA)
10 Sergio Garcia (ESP)
55th Stephen Ames (T&T)