The OWGR has become a talking point in recent years and the system currently has a new chairperson in the person of South African Trevor Immelman, a former Masters champion.
LIV Golf and the increased focus on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) have placed a spotlight on the role, and now the organization has named Trevor Immelman as the chairman.
OWGR confirmed on Tuesday that current chairman Peter Dawson would step away from the role he has held since 2016, with former Masters champion taking on the role from April 10. “The Governing Board of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has appointed Trevor Immelman to become its new Chairman, beginning April 10, 2025,” a statement read.
Immelman, who won the 2008 Masters Tournament at Augusta National, will succeed Peter Dawson CBE, who has held the role since 2016.”
On the back of his appointment, the South African said: “The Official World Golf Ranking has always been a huge part of my life and professional career. Growing up in South Africa and falling in love with the game as a youngster, the ranking system was how I tracked and followed my favourite players and understood who the best players in the world were.
“Then, as I turned professional, my focus on the rankings intensified, as I knew being in the top 50 allowed me to play in the biggest tournaments around the world. I am extremely honoured to follow in the footsteps of Sir Michael Bonallack and Peter Dawson as Chairman, and I look forward to working closely with Board members to ensure OWGR remains committed to its mission.”
He will take over from Dawson who has overseen arguably the most turbulent time in OWGR history following the formation of the LIV setup. He is set to leave with the breakaway still unaccredited by the ranking system, after Greg Norman and co saw their applications rejected due to their tournament format and relegation process.
On leaving his post, the departing chairman commented: I have had the honour to work on the OWGR as the chairman and help the Board to work for men’s professional golf. But OWGR is a valuable format and is slated to remain a work in progress as it tweaks and adapts its formula toward its stated mission.
“I want to wish Trevor the very best and am confident that he will be delivering the role with highest distinction.” Immelman will be particularly motivated to provide some consistency around the rankings which have been marred in the recent seasons as LIV players were excluded from earning points and therefore dropped down the rankings.
The South African is not new to the breakaway league, and expressed his disapproval of it when he took the reigns as International Team captain in the 2022 Presidents cup. As the PGA Tour has excluded its players from signing up for the LIV Golf League, the LIV players cannot participate in the Presidents Cup .
Absent from this were Cam Smith, Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann for the match against the Americans who won 17.5-12.5 at Quail Hollow. ‘That’s a big time pain in the ‘ar for me.’ Immelman said of LIV in an interview with GOLF’s Subpar Podcast at the time.
From a Presidents Cup perspective it’s made it uber tricky. It’s about team rooms – what if I would have posted pictures of different players here and suddenly those players aren’t allowed to participate? That actually gives it something of a different feeling… I’ve been disheartened over the last year to see my sport split and to see these cracks get opened and the division that it’s caused. It’s been real tough, and I wish I could tell you it’s over! It’s not over.”