Scott O’Neil, the new CEO of LIV Golf, recently spoke up on the ongoing issue of OWGR not agreeing to assign ranking points to the LIV players. LIV is yet to receive accreditation from the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
For a long time, LIV Golf applied for their right to world ranking points, but OWGR rejected them. The organisation expressed their objection to the league’s format and participation criteria. The top 50 players in the OWGR hold many benefits under their name, especially relieving exemptions to the 4 Major Championships.
The rejection made it impossible for LIV players to earn ranking points even after a remarkable performance or win in the Saudi-backed league. As a result, this affected their rankings on the OWGR leaderboard. (as reported by The Times) The new CEO of LIV Golf Scott O’Neil commented on this situation:
“I think our time with the world rankings has passed. On behalf of golf and fans around the world, you want to see the best players on the biggest stages. There are several paths to go down, and from conversations with the majors we are hoping the situation continues to evolve in our favour and we are very confident it will.”
“We all want the same thing and I’m really confident that clearer heads will prevail. I have a good feeling that the headwinds LIV has seen over the last two and a half years are very quickly going to turn to tailwinds,” he added.
OWGR Member Tours, LIV Golf Had Reject LIV’s Application back on October 2023. This application was withdrawn on march 5,2024 by Greg Norman, the then ce of the league under backing of PIF. The new CEO also commented on the possibility of the Saudi Public Investment Fund investing close to $1.5 billion into the PGA, stating:
LIV Golf has bent the curve of golf in the way we can play around the world, the way golf can look and feel and, most importantly, the ways golfers can grow and flourish that have not previously been feasible. Hopefully we are seeing more fans at the next year PGA Tour events, TGL events, DP World Tour events, Asian Tour and of course LIV events. More fans for this game is good for all of us.
“We will be much stronger together, and assuming and hoping the PIF investment into the PGA Tour happens, it’s a wonderful opportunity to spend a lot more time looking out the windshield and less looking in the rear view mirror,” he added.