One man’s loss is another man’s gain. The golf world has seen this story unfold before — and it’s likely to see it again soon. For months, cracks in Collin Morikawa’s game have been surfacing. A two-time major champ and American golf’s notable name, Morikawa’s 2025 season is now edging to a close, and with that, his long fixated rank too.

Morikawa is slated to slide down from the OWGR’s 10th rank in the coming days. His 77-week run inside the world’s top 10 might come to an end, and if he needs anyone to blame, it’s Ben Griffin. His fellow Ryder Cup colleague’s win at the World Wide Technology Championship in Cabo has put Morikawa in a hot seat, and there’s only a spiral downward path from here on. The same was discussed on the new episode of The Shotgun Start podcast.

“I was looking around. It seems likely he’ll [Ben Griffin] be 10 or maybe even higher,” notes Brendan Porath. “So he’s going to jump into the top 10. You know the one name will be out if he jumps in?” Completing Porath, Andy Johnson chimes in, “Colin will be out if he jumps in.”

Griffin, who rode a 9-under 63 final round, has now claimed his third PGA Tour win of the year. He dominated through big names like Sami Valimaki, Carson Young, and Garrick Higgo, taking with him not just $1.08 million, but also 500 FedEx Cup points. Currently, he’s placed at No. 12 on the OWGR, but as the number rolls in, he’ll jump to 9th – a career best.

“I feel like Ben Griffin was so off the planet out of like out of nowhere,” admits Porath on Griffin’s sudden trajectory from a loan officer to a top golfer. “He wasn’t even on earth. Like, this guy’s going to be a world-class player at the end of the year. Like if you told me that, I would have laughed so hard if somebody predicted that.”

Funny as it might have been, the leap is going to come. But it is going to come at the expense of Morikawa, whose ranking points have been steadily fading. Before the week began, he sat with an average of 4.32 points. Griffin, on the other hand, was lurking close enough, with 4.30. It is going to be a hard fall for Morikawa, who has enjoyed a high rank of 2 once in his life.

It was 2021 when he experienced that high. That year saw his Open Championship title and a DP World Tour Championship victory. His ball control and composure were under control. But since then, there’s only been a fall, despite several experiments. For instance, in 2025, from 21 starts, he’s had just two runner-up finishes – one at The Sentry and the other at the Arnold Palmer. He’s missed the cut at both the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open Championship, finished T50 at the PGA Championship, and closed with a modest T14 at the Masters. These results did not give him the weight he needed.

What further makes this worse is OWGR’s two-year rolling system. Points earned are held at full value for just 13 weeks. But then they gradually decline over the remaining 91 weeks. The best results Morikawa had in late 2024 are now reaching their expiration dates. That means his total points will continue to fade unless he bounces back. But he doesn’t have time.

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Clock’s ticking for Collin Morikawa

If Collin Morikawa wants to claw his way back into the world’s top 10, the path is clear. But it is not going to be easy. The next eight weeks will be critical, but they will offer a narrow window for his redemption. Although he is not required to play in the Fall events, he must do so to keep his ranks. If he participates in the RSM Classic and registers a strong finish, he can get his necessary bump.

The RSM Classic, scheduled from November 20 to 23, will be the last PGA Tour event to offer OWGR points. Then he also has the Hero World Challenge, where he has had great results before. So, a top-5 result can help Morikawa.

In the long term, there’s no substitute for winning. Morikawa’s last PGA Tour victory came in 2023 (Zozo Championship), and until he ends that drought, the math is not going to favor him. Players below him are constantly accumulating points. As of now, Viktor Hovland has 4.30 points, and Harris English has 4.28. The time’s short, and Collin Morikawa should act now if he wants to keep his fixed rank.