Race to the top is never easy! Golfers have to wait for years after turning pro to achieve the feat of becoming world number 1, and while some do achieve it, some are left waiting. Take Phil Mickelson, for example. Despite having 45 PGA Tour wins and 6 major wins, the golfer has never been the world’s No. 1. He has been a number two golfer, and has spent 775 weeks on the world’s top 10 list, but being on top was something, he could not achieve.

In contrast, the golfer who spent the most weeks as the world’s no. 1 is, without a doubt, Tiger Woods. The 82-time PGA Tour winner has spent a whopping 683 weeks on the top. Additionally, he is also the only golfer to spend 100 consecutive weeks at the top; this record is closely followed by LIV Golf’s CEO, Greg Norman. The Shark spent 96 consecutive weeks as #1. The Australian golf veteran is LIV’s only member to have spent the most weeks as the world’s no. 1 at 331 weeks; however, that is not what we’re here to talk about!

Currently, PGA Tour pro, Scottie Scheffler holds the world’s No. 1 position, but the top three players of the Saudi-backed league once held it.

3. Brooks Koepka

In a thrilling final round at the CJ Cup in South Korea, Brooks Koepka secured a four-stroke victory and claimed the top spot in the world golf rankings. The 5x major winner shot a beautiful eagle on the 18th to conclude his day with a low score of 64. This win helped him claim the top spot, and to say he was elated is an understatement.

He talked about this being his childhood dream, and said, “The world number one is something I dreamed of as a kid and I don’t think this one’s going to sink in.” He has been an apex golfer for as long as 47 weeks.

2. Jon Rahm

The second on the list is Jon Rahm. Rahm achieved his dream of becoming the world’s number-one when he was 26. The accolade came to him after winning the 2020 Memorial Tournament, and he remained at #1 for two weeks.

As they say, to be on the top is a dream, it was such for Rahm as well. “It’s pretty surreal to think it’s happened this quickly, right, in less than 10 years. I mean, how many people get to achieve a lifelong team, a short lifelong dream, in their mid-20s? It’s incredible,” said the golfer after his OWGR went up.

The last time he became a world number was after he won at Augusta in 2023. He stayed on top for 6 weeks, totaling his time as the world’s best golfer to 52 weeks.

1. Dustin Johnson

Dustin Johnson holds the spot of the LIV golfer with the most spent weeks as the world’s No. 1. The golfer got his name recorded as the world’s No. 1 after an amazing win at the 2017 Genesis Invitational. He remained that way for 64 weeks. He also received the Mark H. McCormack Award for holding the first position for most of the year in 2017. But that was just the beginning. The golfer went on to hold the position for a total of 135 weeks and was declared the world’s No. 1 seven times between those. The last time was in 2021, from July 11 to July 17.

After the 2017 Genesis Invitational, the golfer captured the spot again with a fabulous performance at the Northern Trust in 2020. “Obviously it’s been jumping around a bunch here the last few months, but the last time I was number one, I think I stayed there for quite some time, and that’s another goal of mine… to see how long I can stay at No. 1,” said the golfer after winning the PGA Tour.

Regardless of the time they spent as the world’s No. 1, these golfers are some of the most loved players on the LIV Golf. So, who is your favorite of the lot? Let us know in the comment section below!