Bryson DeChambeau gets the better of Rory McIlroy AGAIN! This time in brand new world golf ranking
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The Today’s Golfer 2024 ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in Golf sees DeChambeau overtake McIlroy for the first time – and that wasn’t the only big move…
In the battle of golf’s two biggest personalities, Bryson DeChambeau got the better of Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst, snatching a US Open victory that looked like Rory’s for the taking.
Now we can reveal that DeChambeau has completed the double over the Northern Irishman. The LIV star is one of the biggest movers in our annual ranking of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Golf, placing sixth this year – ahead of Rory in eighth – having reinvented himself as golf’s great entertainer in 2024.
DeChambeau climbed 22 places from his ranking of 28th last year. By comparison, Rory has lost influence since resigning as a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board last year and has dropped from sixth in 2023.
Whilst he had a successful by almost anyone else’s standards year and secured a Seve-matching sixth Race to Dubai title, McIlroy has been overshadowed on the course in 2024 by the dominance of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele. Both of his rivals form part of a strong player contingent on the Influentials List, which features 25 new entrants and more woman than ever before. New additions for this year include Stacy Lewis, Lydia Ko, and Nelly Korda.
DeChambeau’s usurping of McIlroy will add an interesting edge to The Showdown, which will see a PGA Tour pairing of McIlroy and Scheffler face off against LIV Golf duo DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka on December 17.
To compile its Top 100 ranking, a panel of 10 industry experts shortlisted leaders from the world of equipment, tech, and course design, as well as coaching, social media, the governing bodies, and the men’s and women’s tours. Each person’s influence on your game and the game was then measured according to eight different categories, such as newsworthiness, financial clout, and innovation.
“This is the most exhaustive list of its kind in golf and forms a big part of our Top 100 series, which is internationally recognized,” says Chris Jones, Group Editor of Today’s Golfer. “This is the first time we’ve seen some big changes at the top end of our ranking, and we anticipate there will be even more if and when the men’s tours unite for the good of the game.”
Despite playing just five times in 2024, Tiger Woods tops the list for the third year in a row, ahead of outgoing R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers and his USGA counterpart Mike Whan.
Bryson is the next highest player on the list, having found huge success on YouTube where his ‘Break 50’ series has been watched more than 40 million times. His influence is such that he now has a larger following than the PGA Tour’s channel with 1.6 million subscribers.
Scottie Scheffler is the biggest riser from last year, jumping from 100th to 17th, after winning seven times and breaking his own PGA Tour money record in a single season.
Mary Lou Bohn, President of Titleist Golf Balls, retained her status as the most influential woman in golf, while Rick Shiels came out on top in the battle of the social media ‘influencers’ ahead of Good Good and Grant Horvat.
READ NEXT: See the full ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in Golf
About the author
Michael Catling – Features Editor
Michael Catling is an award-winning journalist who specializes in golf’s Majors and Tours, including DP World, PGA, LPGA, and LIV.
Michael joined Today’s Golfer in 2016 and has traveled the world to attend the game’s biggest events and secure exclusive interviews with the game’s biggest names, including Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Martin Slumbers and Justin Thomas.
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Bryson DeChambeau is now ranked as more influential than Rory McIlroy.
