Portland, OR, WPH Press, 10/11/26
With his eighteenth Race 4 Eight title at the 2026 R48 Portland Classic, Martin Mulkerrins remained the Race 4 Eight #1, while 2:30 marathoner Ray Ure remained at #2 after skipping Portland for the second consecutive year.
Mark Doyle remained #3 with a quarterfinal, semifinal, and finals appearance this season, and Lucho Cordova remained #4 after successive semifinal appearances in his first two starts this season.
Wedding man Leo Canales stayed in the top five after finishing third at the 2026 R48 Portland Classic, while Sean Lenning’s first Race final since 2023 and twenty-fourth overall Race final vaulted him from #8 to #6.
Ivan Burgos dropped from #6 to #7 after losing in the quarterfinals in Portland, while Danos Cordova dropped from #7 to #8 after also losing in the Portland quarterfinals.
Dylan Hernandez rose to a career-high #9 after finishing tenth in Portland, while Coleman McGrath slid from #9 to #10 after skipping Portland. Max Langmack’s seventh place Portland finish saw TGG rise to #11.
Jeff Streibig started the season at #9 but has dropped to #12 after a round of 16 loss in Montana and not playing in Portland. Shorty Ruiz is inching closer to the Race 4 Eight’s top twelve after an impressive ninth place finish in Portland.
See all of the Race 4 Eight rankings below.
The 15th season of the WPH Race 4 Eight professional handball tour is HERE! As we gear up for an action-packed 2026-27 season, the World Players of Handball (WPH) is excited to officialize the updated ranking methodologies across all three pro tiers: the R48 Men’s Pro, the SR48 Senior’s Pro, and the WR48 Women’s Pro.
Transparency remains paramount to the tour’s integrity. Below is the official breakdown of the point structures, event counting protocols, tie-breaking procedures, and seeding guidelines for Season 15.
1. WPH R48 Men’s Pro Ranking Methodology
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Tour Structure & Counting Events: The 2026-27 WPH R48 Men’s Pro Tour will consist of 9 events, with each player’s best 7 events counting towards their ranking. All ranking events less than 12 months old count, and when an event exceeds 12 months, it is removed.
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Standard Point Breakdown: Ranking points will be awarded to the top 16 finishers as follows:
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1st place: 10 points
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2nd place: 8 points
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3rd/4th place: 6 points
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5th place: 4 points
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6th place: 3.5 points
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7th/8th place: 3 points
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9th place: 2 points
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10th place: 1.5 points
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11th/12th place: 1 point
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13th through 16th place: 0.5 points
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Playoff Guidelines: Playoffs for 5th and 9th place will be held whenever possible. If a 5th-place playoff is not held, quarterfinalists each earn 4 points. If a 9th-place playoff is not held, round of 16 finishers each earn 2 points. Select events may feature 3rd-place and 17th-place playoffs; if a 3rd-place playoff occurs, 3rd earns 6 points and 4th earns 5.5 points. If a 17th-place playoff is held, the winner receives fractional bonus points appropriate for that event number.
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Major Events & LTE Stops:
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Tucson Memorial & Players Championship: 1st place earns 12 points, and 2nd place earns 9 points.
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LTE Stops: 1st earns 5 points, 2nd earns 4 points, 3rd/4th earns 3 points, 5th earns 2 points, 6th earns 1.5 points, 7th/8th earns 1 point, and 9th earns appropriate fractional bonus points.
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📄 Download Official Document: WPH Men’s Pro Rankings Methodology (PDF)
2026/27 Pro Men’s Rankings- Post Portland, OR
2. WPH SR48 Senior’s Pro Ranking Methodology
Tour Structure & Counting Events: The 2026-27 WPH SR48 Senior’s Pro Tour will consist of 4 events, with each player’s best 3 events counting towards their ranking.
Standard Point Breakdown: Ranking points are awarded to the top 8 finishers whenever possible, though the WPH Executive Director retains discretion to reduce point-awarding spots based on draw size. Point values are allocated as follows:
1st place: 10 points
2nd place: 8 points
3rd place: 6 points
4th place: 5 points
5th place: 4 points
6th place: 3 points
7th place: 2 points
8th place: 1 point
Playoff & Points Splitting: If playoffs for 3rd, 5th, or 7th place cannot be held, points will be split as follows:
No 3rd-place playoff: 3rd/4th split points to earn 5.5 points each.
No 5th-place playoff: Quarterfinalists split points to earn 2.5 points each.
No 7th-place playoff: 7th/8th split points to earn 1.5 points each.
9th Place Playoffs: May be held at select events, with the winner earning fractional bonus points appropriate for that event number.
Major Events: For the Tucson Memorial and the Players Championship, 1st place scales up to earn 12 points and 2nd place earns 9 points, with all other placements remaining the same.
📄 Download Official Document: WPH Senior’s Rankings Methodology (PDF)
2026/27 Sr 40+ Rankings:
3. WPH WR48 Women’s Pro Ranking Methodology
Tour Structure & Counting Events: The 2026-27 WPH WR48 Women’s Pro Tour will consist of 5 events, with each player’s best 4 events counting towards their ranking.
Standard Point Breakdown: Similar to the Senior’s structure, ranking points are awarded to the top 8 finishers whenever possible, subject to the WPH Executive Director’s discretion regarding draw size. Points are distributed as follows:
1st place: 10 points
2nd place: 8 points
3rd place: 6 points
4th place: 5 points
5th place: 4 points
6th place: 3 points
7th place: 2 points
8th place: 1 point
Playoff & Points Splitting: When playoffs for 3rd, 5th, or 7th place are not held, points are split:
No 3rd-place playoff: 3rd/4th earn 5.5 points each.
No 5th-place playoff: Quarterfinalists earn 2.5 points each.
No 7th-place playoff: 7th/8th earn 1.5 points each.
9th Place Playoffs: May be held at select events, with the winner earning fractional bonus points appropriate for that event number.
Major Events: For the Tucson Memorial and the Players Championship, 1st place earns 12 points and 2nd place earns 9 points, with points for other placements remaining unchanged.
📄 Download Official Document: WPH Women’s Rankings Methodology (PDF)
2026/27 Pro Women’s Rankings:
