Rory McIlroy has reached a higher position on the world rankings than any other 20-year-old before him.
Even though he did not play last week - and pulled out of the Nedbank Challenge a fortnight ago because of a virus - the Northern Ireland youngster moves up from 11th to ninth.
Dubliner Padraig Harrington is the current world number five.
World number one Tiger Woods holds a 6.66 points lead over Phil Mickelson three days after he announced he was taking an indefinite break from golf to tackle his personal problems.
When he started his eight-month lay-off after knee surgery last year the American's lead was over 11 points.
He was never caught then, but it could be different is his new hiatus proves another lengthy one.
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