Tiger holds on to No 1 spot

London - Tiger Woods has stayed atop the world rankings despite his continued absence from competitive golf following back surgery.

The 38-year-old US superstar was treated for a bulging disc in his spine in late March and subsequently pulled out of the Masters, the first of the year's four majors.

He is in serious doubt for the US Open at Pinehurst in mid-June with reports saying he could be targeting a return to action at the British Open which starts at Hoylake, near Liverpool, on July 17.

In the meantime his main rival for the top spot, Australian Adam Scott, took time off, while third-placed Swede Henrik Stenson closed the gap slightly with a tie for fifth in the China Open.

The highest-ranked South African is Charl Schwartzel in 16th position.

Rankings:

1. Tiger Woods (USA) 8.46

2. Adam Scott (AUS) 8.18

3. Henrik Stenson (SWE) 8.00

4. Bubba Watson (USA) 7.35

5. Matt Kuchar (USA) 7.14

6. Jason Day (AUS) 6.70

7. Jordan Spieth (USA) 6.02

8. Sergio Garcia (ESP) 5.90

9. Phil Mickelson (USA) 5.85

10. Justin Rose (ENG) 5.80

11. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 5.74

12. Zach Johnson (USA) 5.47

13. Dustin Johnson (USA) 5.24

14. Graeme McDowell (NIR) 4.44

15. Steve Stricker (USA) 4.33

16. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 4.29

17. Luke Donald (ENG) 4.22

18. Jason Dufner (USA) 4.17

19. Keegan Bradley (USA) 4.13

20. Ian Poulter (ENG) 4.13