World golf rankings under scrutiny at the Players Championship

As the Players Championship teed off Thursday morning, golf wasn’t the only topic of discussion at TPC Sawgrass.

It’s no secret that some people in the sport believe that the world rankings format should be scrapped. They don’t like the two-year “rolling” period that is slow to reflect changes among top players.

Under the existing calculations, Adam Scott might have passed an injured Tiger Woods at No. 1 simply by skipping the Players. Instead, since he’s entered, it seems that Scott must finish in the top 16 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., to grab the top spot.

“Well, to be honest I didn’t know that,” he told reporters on Wednesday, adding: “I haven’t been thinking about No. 1 that much, obviously.”

Henrik Stenson, Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar also have a chance to reach No. 1 with a strong finish this weekend.

All four were scheduled to tee off around 10:30 a.m. Pacific time or later.

Among early starters, Lee Westwood, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Scott Brown shared the lead at five-under, with a pack of golfers including Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose one stroke back.