Jordan Smith has catapulted into the top ten of the DP World Tour Rankings in partnership with Rolex after an incredible wire-to-wire victory at the Portugal Masters.
The Englishman enjoyed an extraordinary week in Vilamoura which saw him finish on an astonishing score of 30 under par and three shots clear of closest challenger Gavin Green.
The triumph also marks Smith’s second career victory following his maiden title at the 2017 Porsche European Open.
The 29-year-old now sits in ninth place in the Rankings, with victory in Portugal earning him 460 crucial points to jump up from 14th position.
“I’m just really happy with how I’ve done this year,” said Smith. “There was a lot of pressure that I put on myself and that people had put on me as well.
“It’s just nice to finally get that second win.”
Smith’s final tally of 30 under is a shot better than Ernie Els’ DP World Tour record of 29 under set at the 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic.
However, the Englishman just misses out on entering the record books due to preferred lies being used at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.
Smith now ties New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy for nine top ten finishes this season.
Courtesy of this unstoppable form, the 29-year-old now looks on course to secure his best ever finish in the Rankings. His previous best was 24th in 2017.
A total of 47 players in Portugal secured a rise in the Rankings with just one more event to qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
The top 50 available players following the conclusion of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in two weeks’ time will secure their spot at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 17-20.
Germany’s Marcel Schneider and Malaysia’s Green were the only players to break into the all-important top 50 in Portugal, with the latter moving up 34 places from 76th to 42nd.
At the other end of the Rankings list, a host of players secured their cards for next year with Portugal the last event of the season in which to do so.
The top 117 players in the Rankings keep full playing rights for the 2023 season with the likes of Dutchman Darius Van Driel and Norway’s Espen Kofstad doing just enough in Portugal to remain inside the cut-off point.
The DP World Tour now has a week off before moving on to the highly-anticipated $6 million Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player CC in Sun City, South Africa.
There are 6,000 further DP World Tour Rankings points up for grabs at the event with play scheduled to take place on November 10-13.
