Can Rory McIlroy reach World No. 1 at the CJ Cup 2022?

Rory McIlroy is in great form after winning his third FedExCup this year and finishing in the top four in both the Italian Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. While McIlroy waits six months to resume his chase for a long-awaited fifth major title, he could regain the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings this weekend.

McIlroy is currently World No. 2. The golfer has been in the top spot for a while and is looking to retake the place. As it turns out, he could regain the No. 1 spot if he wins this week’s CJ Cup. McIlroy could take the top position by finishing alone in second place at the event in South Carolina as well.

According to Official World Golf Rankings guru @Nosferatu on Twitter, Rory McIlroy could take the top spot by finishing in the top two at the CJ Cup 2022 this weekend. As per the expert, McIlroy could retake the top spot in the rankings with some ‘help’ from current No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

As per calculations, McIlroy will come out on top in the rankings if he finishes in the top two and Scheffler makes a poor finish this week. The scenario of McIlroy taking first by finishing second would require Scheffler to finish worse than in the 34th position. As this seems like the harder option, the Irish golfer is likely to aim for the win.

It is pertinent to note that this isn’t the first time Rory McIlroy is eyeing the world rankings. The Irishman has reached No. 1 eight times in his career and held the spot for more than 106 weeks.

The last time McIlroy held the No. 1 position was back in July of 2020. Scheffler had held the top spot in the rankings since March when he won the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Rory McIlroy favorite to win the CJ Cup

The PGA Tour is now headed to the Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina. Top golfers including No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick and Collin Morikawa, will all be competing for the top prize at the CJ Cup 2022.

However, Rory McIlroy comes into the event as the favorite to win. According to DraftKings, McIlroy holds the strongest odds with +650, while Rahm stands second (+900). Scheffler only holds the third-best odds (+1100).

Having won the FedExCup in August, the golfer will look to repeat the result this weekend. It is also noteworthy that he finished no worse than T4 in three tournaments on the DP World Tour last year. Meanwhile, Scheffler will be teeing up on Thursday (October 21) for the first time since his loss to McIlroy at the TOUR Championship.

It goes without saying that the Rory McIlroy vs Scottie Scheffler matchup will be the highlight of the CJ Cup taking place from October 19 and 23. Arriving at the Congaree after a break, McIlroy will look to take the 500 FedEx Cup points and the $1.89 million winner’s paycheck as prizes over the weekend.