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Rory McIlroy has no problem with world No 1 spot becoming 'hot potato'

Any one of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler could end the weekend as world No 1, with the American taking top spot after the WM Phoenix Open last weekend; watch the Genesis Invitational live on Sky Sports Golf from 2.30pm on Thursday

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, talks to reporters following his pro-am round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)
Image: Rory McIlroy will hope to regain the No 1 ranking in Los Angeles

Rory McIlroy has no problem with the world No 1 spot becoming a "hot potato" as he battles to reclaim top spot at the Genesis Invitational.

Tiger Woods, who is returning to competitive golf, has dominated the headlines ahead of the Rivera Country Club event in Los Angeles, but an interesting sub-plot has been developing this year with the No 1 spot exchanging hands throughout 2023.

McIlroy will have the chance to reclaim it and replace Scottie Scheffler as world No 1, whose victory at the WM Phoenix Open last weekend meant he moved above the Northern Irishman by 0.5 points.

If McIlroy wins the Genesis Invitational he will overhaul Scheffler regardless of the latter's result, while outright third place would be good enough for McIlroy unless Scheffler finishes in the top 25 or Jon Rahm wins or is outright second.

"Yeah, of course I care about it. I think it's a really cool thing to be ranked No 1 in whatever you do, but I think it just goes to show the level of depth and the level of talent that's out here," McIlroy said.

"I literally have one average week, it wasn't even a bad week, just an average week, and there's always someone waiting to overtake you or to come and try to take that mantle from you. I think it's a great thing for the game.

"I've got a chance to get it back this week. You know, hopefully it's a bit of a sort of hot potato thing where me, Scottie and Jon [Rahm] sort of pass it around a little bit because it means we're all playing great golf."

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'The Tour built on meritocracy'

Rahm can also become No 1 with a win or solo second in one of the PGA Tour's "elevated" events, which features a prize fund of £16.7m and has attracted 19 of the world's top 20.

Open champion Cameron Smith is the only absentee and world No 23 Joaquin Niemann is unable to defend his title after joining Smith on the LIV Golf circuit.

The elevated events are a key part of the PGA Tour's response to the threat posed by LIV, but Woods conceded on Tuesday that they had generated "mixed emotions" as questions remain about the future format and access for lower-ranked players.

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Tiger Woods admits it's been a 'difficult' period for the sport following the launch of the LIV Golf series.

"The feedback is, I would say, similar to what Tiger said," added McIlroy, who admitted he would be glad to focus more on his game in future after being heavily involved in off-field issues recently.

"It's the top half of the membership being really happy that they're in them but then the guys maybe on the outside looking in being worried about if they're always going to be on the outside looking in.

"I think that the big thing has been, is this going to be like a closed shop for the same guys every single week? And it's not. This tour was built on meritocracy.

"This tour was built on 'if you shoot the scores, you can move up the levels and play the biggest events'. That's not going to be taken away."

Watch the Genesis Invitational throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf, while the DP World Tour's Thailand Classic and the Ladies European Tour's Aramco Saudi Ladies International are also part of the live triple-header.

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