LIV Golf has given up its pursuit of ranking points on the Official World Golf Rankings, CEO Greg Norman said. Ranking points are used to place players in majors, the jewels of men's golf's quadruple crown, but without the ability to earn these points, LIV Golf players are unable to qualify for these majors. You will be at a huge disadvantage when trying to gain it.
“There is no longer a resolution to protect the accuracy, reliability and integrity of the OWGR rankings,” Norman said in a letter to athletes first obtained by Sports Illustrated. He accused OWGR of failing to properly categorize and reward clearly the world's best players, including three of the past five major winners.
“We have fought for you and have worked hard to ensure your achievements are recognized within the existing ranking system,” Norman wrote. “Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little desire to work productively with us.”
LIV Golf first applied for OWGR in mid-2022. OWGR formally denied that request last fall, primarily because players would not be moving from week to week (LIV's 54-man field is set for an entire season or a season with few exceptions). ). LIV's small field, 54-hole tournament, and uncut format were also concerns, but OWGR noted they could be addressed using math.
OWGR chairman Peter Dawson pointed out that the format, not the formation of LIV, was the problem. When the first bid was rejected, Dawson told The Associated Press, “This decision to not qualify them is not political.” “This is entirely technical. It is a truism that the LIV players are as good as they are ranked. We just don’t play in a format that allows players to come out.”
There is still a path for LIV players to reach the majors, no matter how narrow. A player can qualify for his two “open” majors, the U.S. Open and the British Open Championship, through the typical qualification process. This means success at multiple levels of tournament play. Or, if he performs well enough in other events around the world, such as DP World Tour events and Asian Tour events, he could earn a spot from the majors, as Joaquin Niemann did this year from both the Masters and PGA Championship. You may also receive an invitation. Once you make it to a major, you can survive for years to come by winning or finishing near the top of the leaderboard.
Many LIV Golf players have already been granted exemptions to various major tournaments due to their previous wins. Past Masters winners such as Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson can play the rest of their careers at Augusta. Recent major winners like Rahm, Koepka, Cam Smith and Bryson DeChambeau have received multi-year exemptions from all four majors. But these players are the exception rather than the rule in LIV's 54-man field.
For players without waivers, invitations, or qualifying play at the major level, there is no path to the majors at all. While a PGA Tour player can jump to a major with just one tournament win, as several have already done this year, LIV Golf players don't have that option. They get paid a lot of money, but they don't get to step into golf history.
LIV Golf's decision to depart from the OWGR tradition is a further sign that golf is entering a new phase, unbound by previous conventions and old ways of doing business. The fact that both the Masters and PGA Championship are open to LIV players (technically, “players”, singular) still shows the majors are softening their stance on breakaway tours.
The more LIV Golf succeeds on its own terms, or at least continues to operate, the less relevant the game's old traditions become. The validity of the Official World Golf Rankings, where Rahm, Smith, and Koepka are not at the top of the list, is questionable, as more comprehensive rankings, such as the DataGolf rankings, are necessary for proper statistical evaluation. It is proof that something is true. Assessing the best players in the upcoming golf world.
