Justin Rose moves to World No.3 then teases Scottie Scheffler after Farmers win

Justin Rose couldn’t resist a playful dig at Scottie Scheffler after surging to third in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) following his emphatic victory at the Farmers Insurance Open.

The 45-year-old Englishman jumped seven places from 10th to third in the world after a dominant wire-to-wire win at Torrey Pines on Sunday night — and marked the moment with a cheeky post on X (formerly Twitter).

Rose shared a screenshot of the updated top 10 and wrote: “Number 3 in the @OWGRltd after the 🏆 I’m coming for you Scottie!! 😂😂”

The comment was clearly tongue-in-cheek. Rose still trails runaway World No.1 Scheffler by 12 points, but the message underlined just how strong his recent form has been.

Scheffler, meanwhile, further cemented his grip on the top spot two weeks ago by winning The American Express for his landmark 20th PGA Tour title, extending his advantage over Rory McIlroy at No.2. The four-time major champion returns to action this week at the WM Phoenix Open — a tournament he has already won twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Rose back in world's elite

Rose’s climb back into the top three marks a remarkable resurgence for the former World No.1, who last held the position in 2019. 

The 2013 US Open champion first reached the summit of the rankings in September 2018 after winning the BMW Championship and spent 13 weeks at No.1 across several spells.

After sliding down the world order in recent seasons, Rose is now firmly on the way back — and doing so with authority.

His latest success at Torrey Pines was his second Farmers Insurance Open title, having also won the event in 2019. A closing 70 secured a commanding seven-shot victory over Ryo Hisatsune, Si Woo Kim and Pierceson Coody at 23-under par.

In the process, Rose broke the tournament’s 72-hole scoring record by one shot, eclipsing the mark previously shared by George Burns and a certain Tiger Woods.

Records, history and renewed belief

The win was Rose’s 13th PGA Tour title — more than any other Englishman in history — moving him four clear of Sir Nick Faldo. 

It also made him the oldest wire-to-wire winner on the PGA Tour since Rocco Mediate in 2010, and the first player since Tommy Bolt in 1955 to lead outright after every round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Yet despite the growing list of accolades, Rose insists his ambition remains undimmed — particularly when it comes to the majors.

“The majors is where I have my attention, for sure,” Rose said after lifting the trophy.

“I’ve achieved a lot in the game, but I’ve achieved a lot of it just once. I’d happily take multiples of anything I’ve already done.

“I’ve been really close to The Open, I’ve been really close to The Masters. The dream of winning all four has been there since I was a kid. It feels a long way off, but when you look at the last 12 to 18 months, I’m not that far away — so I may as well keep believing.”

Rose’s form backs up that belief. He won the FedEx St Jude Championship in August, played a key role in Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph in September and has now claimed his latest PGA Tour win in just his second start of 2026.

Scheffler to strengthen OWGR lead in Phoenix?

Rose’s rise to third in the world means fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood slips to fourth, while McIlroy remains second behind Scheffler.

With McIlroy, Rose and Fleetwood all skipping this week’s WM Phoenix Open, Scheffler has a golden opportunity to extend his lead at the top. The American arrives at TPC Scottsdale as a red-hot favourite to win a 21st PGA Tour title — and a third Phoenix Open crown.

Rose may have been joking when he said he was “coming for” Scheffler — but on current form, he’s firmly back in the conversation.