Date: July 23, 2008
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Norman rides rankings rocket

Greg Norman&aposs third-place finish at the British Open not only landed him a hefty pay packet but also propelled him up the latest world rankings. The 53-year-old Australian, who held a two-shot lead heading into the final round before faltering to hand Irishman Padraig Harrington his second consecutive Claret Jug, soared from 646th to 166th – the single biggest leap in rankings history. Harrington&aposs triumph saw him climb 11 places to his highest ranking of third in the world, knocking Adam Scott out of the top three. But even if Harrington scored victories in the next two majors, it still may not be enough for him to catch No.1 Tiger Woods. Woods, out of action for the rest of the year following knee surgery, still has more than double the points average of second-placed Phil Mickelson and over three times that of Harrington. It has already been calculated that if Open champion Harrington won next month&aposs US PGA and next April&aposs Masters – providing Woods does not play until Augusta – he would still need some high finishes in other events to overtake the American. Open runner-up Ian Poulter improves from 42nd to 23rd. Latest leading positions: 1. Tiger Woods 19.50 2. Phil Mickelson 9.68 3. Padraig Harrington 6.37 4. Adam Scott 5.54 5. Ernie Els 5.53 6. Geoff Ogilvy 5.40 7. Sergio Garcia 5.36 8. Stewart Cink 5.33 9. Steve Stricker 5.22 10. Jim Furyk 5.04 11. Henrik Stenson 4.94 12. Justin Rose 4.87 13. KJ Choi 4.85 14. Anthony Kim 4.84 15. Vijay Singh 4.76 16. Kenny Perry 4.41 17. Trevor Immelman 4.40 18. Lee Westwood 4.28 19. Rory Sabbatini 4.26 20. Miguel Angel Jimenez 3.97