Tiger Woods has surged back into the top 20 in the world golf rankings after his third place finish at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

The 36-year-old moved to number 17 in the rankings with the result, and could have climbed even higher but failed to convert an overnight share of the lead into victory on day four.

Woods' ranking had dropped as low as 58 in November last year as the former world No.1 and 14-time major winner endured a nightmare two-year drought without a title.

The eventual winner in Abu Dhabi was Englishman Robert Rock, who moved up 62 places from 117th to 55th in the standings.

The only move in the top 10 saw Rory McIlroy swap places with Lee Westwood, with the Northern Irishman up to No.2.

Martin Kaymer retained fourth spot despite his disastrous showing in Abu Dhabi, where the defending champion missed the cut.

Luke Donald also struggled, finishing in a share of 48th place, but the Englishman holds onto top spot and has now been world No.1 for 35 consecutive weeks.