Australian Jason Day will return to world No.1 on Monday from the comfort of his couch in Ohio as he awaits the birth of his second child.
Day, who first went to No.1 after winning the BMW Championship last month, but lost the mantle a week later after Jordan Spieth won the Tour Championship, will benefit from his phenomenal finish to the year.
While neither Day or Spieth have played in a world ranking points-earning event since the Tour Championship, the Queenslander's late year charge, where he won the Canadian Open, his first major at the PGA Championship and two US PGA tour playoff events in six start streak sees his average usurp the Texan.
"It was a tough week for me but I ground it out around the house," Day joked to AAP.
"But in all seriousness while it is a little strange to get it this way it is just proof that the hard work we put in as a team this year paid off and at the end of the day every week at the top counts and is exciting.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"I know things will likely change again as I continue my off-season so I know I need to get back at it and work even harder than last year to make it easier to be at No.1 into the future."
Day is the third Australian, and the youngest, to be world No.1 along with Greg Norman (331 total weeks) and Adam Scott (11 weeks).
With Day out of action until Tiger Woods' Hero World Challenge in early December, Spieth will have chances to get the spot back, as will No.3 Rory McIlroy, over the next six weeks.
McIlroy is currently playing the season opener in California but cannot earn enough points to move higher than his current ranking, even with a victory.
