McIlroy favored to be world No. 1 heading into 2018

Jason Day begins the new year as the top-ranked golfer in the world, but one betting outlet believes his reign may be short-lived.

Offshore company Bookmaker.eu has listed world No. 2 Rory McIlroy as a 2/1 favorite to end the year ranked No. 1, despite the fact that Day has held the top spot since March. The Aussie has the next-best odds at 3/1, followed by Dustin Johnson at 4/1, Henrik Stenson at 5/1 and Jordan Spieth at 11/2.

McIlroy has not been ranked No. 1 since September 2015, and he fell as far as No. 5 in August. But wins at the Deutsche Bank Championship and Tour Championship propelled him back up to No. 2, and his 9.83 OWGR average leaves him just ahead of Johnson (9.53) and within…