TOP OF THE WORLD

No. 1 ranking is up for grabs at Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio — The timing was too perfect to resist for Rory McIlroy. He was in mid-conversation with reporters during his pre-tournament press conference Wednesday in advance of the Memorial, which begins Thursday at Muirfield, when he was asked about the pressures of being the No. 1 ranked player in the world.

As he began to answer the question, he noticed Justin Thomas — who’s currently No .1 — standing in the back of the room.

“I think it’s really hard to try and play as a world No. 1,’’ McIlroy said with a grin. “I think it’s really difficult. I mean you’ve got so much pressure on your shoulders. There’s a bull’s-eye on your back. It’s just really tough.’’

Thomas is merely in his 18th day as the top-ranked player in the world, having taken it from Dustin Johnson after the final round of the Players Championship. The Memorial, in fact, is his first tournament as No. 1, and Thomas is relishing his time at the top.

“I enjoyed it for a couple days when I had the two weeks off, but after that it was over with,’’ Thomas said. “I wasn’t really thinking about it. It’s odd because

nothing comes with it. Like when you win a tournament, you win, you get a trophy, you get a lot of money, you do a press conference afterwards. I think I was in the middle of flying home [from the Players] when DJ finished and I had been told [he was No. 1].

“I ended up staying up late enough to where I waited to refresh it [on the computer] and saw it and it was pretty cool.’’

Asked if he took a screen shot of it, Thomas nodded and said, “Of course. Why wouldn’t you?

“Seeing every other golfer in the world behind my name was a pretty fun thing.”

Thomas, earnest and open, does not come across as the kind of player who’s going to coast as No. 1. When he addressed the possibility of reaching No. 1 at the Players, the first thought from Thomas was how important it would be for him to maintain that lofty status. The volatility at the top of the rankings is real, and Thomas knows he’ll need to remain on form to stay No. 1.

That, of course, begins with this week at Memorial, where eight of the top 10 are playing.

“This f ield is always extremely strong and there’s a lot of great play-

ers that I’m going to need to play well to have a chance to win this week,’’ Thomas said.

Johnson, who held the No. 1 ranking for 64 consecutive weeks before Thomas unseated him at the Players, called reclaiming the top spot “something that is going to motivate me to work harder and get my game back into the form that I think it should be in.

“I definitely would like to get back there just as much as I wanted to get there the first time,’’ Johnson said. “I think we’re headed in the right direction. The golf game feels really good right now and obviously got a few big weeks coming up here.’’

Asked if he was “bummed out’’ when he was overtaken by Thomas, Johnson said, “No, I wasn’t. He’s been playing very well and obviously he’s been playing a little bit better than me, so he deserved to pass me.’’

Thomas, who has 9.10 points at No. 1, has a scant lead at the top. He can be overtaken this week by either Johnson (No. 2, 8.90 points), Justin Rose (No. 3, 8.39) or Jordan Spieth (No. 5, 7.89).

How long Thomas remains ahead of the pack is all up to him.

“I’m worried about hitting my tee shot on No. 10 at the Memorial first,’’ Thomas said.

Good answer.