Lee Westwood displaces Tiger Woods in No 1 spot

For the first time in more than five years, Tiger Woods is no longer golf's No 1 player.

• After more than five years as the world's highest ranked player, Tiger Woods, left, has surrendered his supremacy to Lee Westwood, right. 'It's a fairly large achievement,' said the Englishman Picture: AP

Lee Westwood of England has taken up the top ranking, becoming the first European in 16 years to be No 1 in the world and only the fourth player to get there without having won a major. "Whenever you can sit down and say, 'I'm the best in the world right now,' it's a dream that everybody holds," Westwood said, calling it the most satisfying achievement of his career.

Westwood is the first European since Nick Faldo in 1994 to be No 1, and the 13th player to be No 1 since the ranking system began in 1986.

The final step was anticlimactic. Westwood, who has finished only one tournament since the British Open while recovering from a calf injury, knew he would go to No 1 as long as PGA champion Martin Kaymer did not finish among the top two at the Andalucia Masters in Spain.

Kaymer tied for 21st, and when the German walked off the 18th at Valderrama, champagne began pouring in Westwood's home in England, where he shared the moment with his parents and about 20 friends.

When the rankings are officially released on Monday, Westwood will be followed in the rankings by Woods, Kaymer, Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker.

More: Westwood at Number 1

• Westwood celebrates ascent to world No 1

• Lee Westwood: Factfile

"Growing up, when people ask what you want to achieve, you turn around say, 'I want to be the best in the world'," Westwood said. "Right at this very moment, I can show people the world ranking and say, 'Look, I'm the best in the world. I'm the best on the planet for golf at the moment.' It's a fairly large achievement when you look at the people who were No 1 in the ranking."

For a record amount of time, that was Woods, who had been No 1 for the last 281 weeks, dating to the week before the 2005 US Open, where he was the runner-up. He won the British Open a month later, and his ranking has rarely been threatened since.

The gap was as large as ever less than a year ago. When Woods won the Australian Masters, his points average in the world ranking was 16.17. Westwood was No 5 at 5.92 points.

But it all changed quickly for Woods, who struggled through his worst season on and off the course. After a five-month break to cope with confessions of extramarital affairs, which ended in divorce, his game has not been the same. He has not finished better than a tie for fourth - in the Masters and US Open - and he has lost more ranking points than any player has earned.

Westwood could not have imagined getting to No 1 without having won a major, but he's not surprised he was the one who replaced Woods.This year the 37-year-old Englishman came second in two majors (Masters, British Open), tied for fourth at The Players Championship and won the St Jude Classic in Memphis.

How long Westwood stays at the top remains to be seen. He leaves today for the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, where three other players - Woods, Kaymer and Phil Mickelson - will have a chance to take the No 1 spot. For Mickelson, it will be his 13th straight tournament with a chance to be No 1, the difference now that he is chasing Westwood, not Woods.

"This could be very exciting for the game of golf," Westwood said. It was reminiscent of June 1997, when Woods, Ernie Els and Greg Norman all reached No 1 in a three-week span.

As much as this represents the end of Woods' reign, it completes a remarkable turnaround for Westwood who struggled through a slump so severe that he fell as low as No 266 in the world on 25 May, 2003.

"When you get that low ... it's a very difficult process," he said. "You take it a step at a time and rebuild the whole thing. And that's what I tried to do."

This is the tenth time Woods has lost the No 1 ranking. The longest he was out of the No 1 spot was 26 weeks toward the end of the 2004 season and beginning of 2005, when Vijay Singh went on a great run and Woods was in the middle of a swing change.

"You just keep playing," Woods said in August, as his hold on the prime spot became more tenuous. "Winning golf tournaments takes care of a lot of things, and being No 1 is one of them."

Woods had an exhibition in Japan today before going to Shanghai for the HSBC Champions, which starts on Thursday at Sheshan International. Mickelson is the defending champion.