Greg Norman slams “laughable” LIV Golf problem he constantly faces

LIV Golf supremo Greg Norman has blasted the Official World Golf Ranking as the breakaway tournament’s players continue to slide down the pecking order, with no ranking points on offer in LIV events

Greg Norman, the commissioner of LIV Golf, has criticized the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) once again while advocating for the acknowledgment of the Saudi Arabia-supported rival tour.

Since its establishment in 2022, LIV has managed to draw in some of the top players globally, yet it does not have the approval of the OWGR.

A verdict made in October concluded that various reasons, such as LIV’s 54-hole setup, its focus on team events, and the absence of a proper qualification procedure, led to the tour not meeting the criteria set by the OWGR.

Due to the decline in rankings, some players on the tour have lost their spots in major championships unless they qualify through other methods.

Players like Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Cameron Smith have already secured places in major events due to recent wins, but others such as Talor Gooch and veteran players like Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Ian Poulter have not been able to participate.

Two-time major champion Norman and many of his players have blasted the OWGR in the wake of the decision, and the Aussie doubled down on his criticism on Monday when reflecting on the latest release of the rankings.

Norman posted a picture on Instagram of the OWGR top 50 alongside the rankings of Sports Illustrated, The Universal Golf Ranking, Data Golf, and said: “Laughable. LIV would have 2 players in the top 50 OWGR if you exclude recent signees!”

LIV has five players in the OWGR top 50, although three of them are new signings in Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk, who played their way into their positions predominantly through success on the PGA Tour last season.

Koepka is the highest-ranked founding member of LIV’s roster in 29th, thanks in large part to his win at the PGA Championship last year, as well as a strong performance at The Masters. Norman’s countryman Smith, meanwhile, is clinging on to 44th place in the rankings due to his 2022 triumph at The Open Championship.

However, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, two of the star names LIV poached from the PGA Tour when it launched, have slumped to 231 and 169 respectively in the rankings, and they face losing their major championship places when their exemptions from major wins in 2020 run out.

Norman mentioned three other rankings that also feature 8-10 players from Liverpool in their top 50, supporting Smith’s statement that the OWGR has become less credible since the decision in October.

The 30-year-old stated that he believes it is nearly outdated now.

Some players are performing exceptionally well in golf, yet they are ranked outside of the top 100 or 200 globally, which he finds absurd.

Johnson, a previous winner of the Masters and US Open, concurred with his competitor from LIV Golf by stating that the world ranking system is no longer reliable according to his view.

He mentioned that it is challenging to trust the rankings when 48 talented players are excluded, leading to skewed results. Despite the impact being lesser for him personally, he emphasized the importance of fair points distribution for all players.

The PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which backs LIV Golf, are currently discussing a potential merger deal.

This agreement could potentially provide more opportunities for LIV players to earn ranking points.

However, after months of negotiations, a resolution has not yet been reached.