Masters champion surges up the world rankings

MASTERS champion Trevor Immelman has moved up 14 places in the world rankings to 15th with Pádraig Harrington improving from 12th to 11th having started 2008 in eighth.

Although a South African who lives for most of the year in Lake Nona, Florida, Immelman began his professional career from a base in Richmond, England, and has retained his membership of the European Tour. His win in Augusta has shot him straight to the top of the order of merit with 992,958 points.

Graeme McDowell is best of the Irish, fifth with 552,750, followed by Harrington (11th with 419,672), Damien McGrane (18th with 311,088) and Paul McGinley (229,980).

Immelman and Harrington know each other well from the time the South African played regularly on the European Tour and indeed the pair fought out a fascinating finale to the Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe at Heidelberg in May, 2004. Having been pipped by an Immelman birdie on the 18th, Harrington was left with the prospect that same evening of informing his caddie,

Dave McNeilly, that their relationship was at an end.