Choi continues his climb up the rankings

Choi Kyung-ju continued his impressive climb up the ladder of official golf rankings. After finishing the 2010 Masters tied for fourth with Tiger Woods, Choi improved to 33rd from 43rd in a ranking released yesterday.

The 39-year-old suffered from a lingering back injury last year and started the current season ranked 97th in the world.

But with solid showings at the Maybank Malaysia Open, Transitions Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational Tournament, Choi moved up the ranks to 43rd prior to the start of the Masters, which only admits the top 50 ranked players.

Yang Yong-eun, who became the first Asian male to win a major last year at the PGA Championship, placed eighth overall at the Masters and improved his ranking to 26th from his previous spot of 28th.

Korean-American Anthony Kim improved four spots to 10th place in the latest ranking.

Tiger Woods remained the top-ranked golfer in the world, with 2010 Masters winner Phil Mickelson ranked second.