Rory McIlroy starts fast at Wells Fargo but falters in world rankings

The world golf rankings look a little different this week -- no Rory McIlroy in the Top 10 -- and there are more changes to come.

An injured Tiger Woods is expected to surrender his grip on No. 1 in the next few weeks with the likes of Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson poised to jump in.

Golf differs from other sports -- such as tennis or college football -- in that the rankings reflect a “rolling” two-year period, so changes occur more slowly and don’t always reflect the most-current situation.

On Thursday morning, McIlroy was looking strong at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina, standing at 3-under through 11 holes of the first round. Still, he wasn’t thrilled about occupying the No. 11 spot worldwide.

“It’s not nice to drop out -- over three years in the Top 10 and you sort of get comfortable there,” he told reporters before the tournament. “Hopefully I can get myself back up, you know, into the sort of territory I have been at the last few years.”

The golfer from Northern Ireland, who has had some strong finishes recently, said he is most concerned with sharpening his putting.

Woods is expected to recover from back surgery and return to the PGA Tour at some point this summer.

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