Patrick Cantlay's incredible nine-year OWGR streak is finally over

Patrick Cantlay has fallen outside the top 40 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for the first time since 2017, ending a remarkable run of nearly nine years among the game's elite.

Cantlay dropped to No. 41 in the latest OWGR update, slipping two places after he was leapfrogged by his compatriot Michael Thorbjornsen and Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard.

The move marks the first time he has been ranked outside the top 40 since November 2017, shortly after his breakthrough PGA Tour victory at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

His latest slide comes after a 2026 season in which he has struggled to maintain the consistency that established him as one of the leading players in the world.

Cantlay has still produced several strong results this season and has missed just four cuts - at the Farmers Insurance Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, U.S. Open and Scottish Open.

He finished inside the top 10 at the RBC Heritage and Valspar Championship and recorded a top-15 finish at The Masters.

But those performances have been offset by a series of less convincing results, including several finishes outside the top 30.

The latest drop is particularly notable given how long Cantlay has occupied the upper reaches of the rankings.

He reached a career-best third in the world only five years ago.

Cantlay was undeniably at his best during the 2021 season, when he defeated Collin Morikawa in a play-off to win the Memorial.

Two months later, Cantlay saw off Bryson DeChambeau in an epic six-hole play-off at Caves Valley Golf Club to win the BMW Championship.

He rode that momentum into the Tour Championship, where he ultimately captured the season-long title and was voted the player of the year.

Cantlay’s career after his 2021 season has been less a dramatic fall than a prolonged failure to reproduce his peak.

But there have been signs of a revival in recent weeks.

He finished tied for eighth at the Rocket Classic after opening the tournament with rounds of 64 and 66, and heads into the postseason 42nd in the FedEx Cup standings.  

Cantlay's shift in the latest OWGR update wasn't the only notable movement. 

Several LIV Golf players made strides following their stop in New York, which was won by Joaquin Niemann. 

The Chilean scooped his ninth overall title on the breakaway tour and jumped more than 10 spots to 42nd. 

Former world number one Lee Westwood recorded his best ever finish with LIV Golf and jumped 190 spots to 342nd.

At the other end, Scottie Scheffler remains the top-ranked player with a comfortable lead over Rory McIlroy. 

Cameron Young, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley, Tommy Fleetwood, Chris Gotterup, Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa round out the top-10.