Jon Rahm insists golf's contentious ranking system does not reflect his status as the 'best player in the world' after a blistering run of form.
The Spaniard is baffled by the new system's calculations after remaining rooted fifth in the rankings following his sensational victory at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
Rahm shot a stunning 10-under-par 63 to overhaul a mammoth seven-shot deficit on Collin Morikawa in the final round at the Plantation Course on Sunday.
The victory in the PGA Tour event with 'elevated status' was a third title in six outings for Rahm and marked the perfect start to 2023.
The 28-year-old finished last year by claiming victory at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and continued his red-hot streak by capitalising on Morikawa's surprise stumble to pocket a huge £2.25 million winner's cheque.
But Rahm was bewildered to learn he would not even move above Patrick Cantlay into fourth spot in the updated world rankings on Monday.
"Since the playoffs... I've won three times and I don't even get close to him. So I'm trying to understand what's going on," Rahm said.
"Had they not changed the world ranking points [system] I would have been pretty damn close [to world No 1] right now. But in my mind, I feel like since August I've been the best player in the world.
"Earlier in the year clearly Scottie (Scheffler) was that player, then Rory (McIlroy) was that player, and I feel like right now it's been me. Anybody, any given year can get a hot three, four months and get to that spot."
Rahm is clearly unimpressed with the alterations to the formula as he was left short-changed with his purple patch incredibly going unrewarded in the rankings.
The former US Open champion defied Ryder Cup teammate McIlroy last year by blasting the new system as 'laughable'.
McIlroy had defended the set-up, implemented last August, that prioritises the strength of a tournament's field and is based on the quantity of higher-ranked players at an event rather than the quality of players on show.
The limited field of 39 players at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua ultimately worked against Rahm in his hopes of making any inroads in the new rankings system.
