Sixteen months after its founding, LIV Golf was officially denied world ranking points for its tournaments, which was first reported by the Associated Press.
The new golf league, which debuted in June 2022 and immediately competed with the PGA Tour, won’t receive points under the 43-year-old ranking system, primarily due to the ways in which it differs. While the majority of top-tier professional tournaments are 72 holes, LIV competitions are 54 holes. LIV events only have 48 players in their fields and do not include a 36-hole cut, which has been another point of contention over the past year of discussion. The OWGR board, however, found it difficult to support LIV because of the league’s overall structure, which guaranteed spots for some players, including stars who signed multi-year contracts with LIV. The OWGR made a letter to Gary Davidson and Greg Norman, the de facto directors, public on Tuesday.
The main problem is that there aren’t enough guaranteed promotions and relegations for players in LIV. More than 40 non-Tour members gain entry into the main circuit each year thanks to the 30 Korn Ferry Tour graduates, the PGA Tour University program, and the 10 Tour cards awarded to the top players on the DP World Tour. For LIV, only three competitors enter through a year-end promotion tournament, and a fourth place is awarded through the Asian Tour, which is run by LIV Golf Investments.
Simply put, the letter states, “The Board Committee does not believe that having a tour operate in this manner is equitable to thousands of players who strive every day to get starts in OWGR Eligible Tournaments.
Some LIV golfers have played well enough in the major championships (which award more points than any other tournaments), but others haven’t fared well. According to DataGolf, an independent golf analytics website, Dustin Johnson ranks as the 39th-best player in the world, while the OWGR ranks him 121st. That fact clearly doesn’t sit well with Dawson, but he speaks as though something needs to be done by LIV moving forward.
“Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, of course they should be in the ranking,” Dawson told the AP. “We need to find a way to get that done. I hope that LIV can find a solution — not so much their format; that can be dealt with through a mathematical formula — but the qualification and relegation.”
How long this decision will matter depends mostly on the staying power of LIV Golf itself. As long as it exists in its current format, some of the best golfers in the world will struggle to remain in the top 100. Proponents of the league contend that LIV is here to stay, pointing out it has the financial backing of Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Al-Rumayyan’s dreams for LIV Golf could just be starting. He is keen for team golf, and is expected to take a seat on the PGA Tour Policy Board when (and if) a merger of operations is agreed upon. ..
But what if the merger doesn’t go through? Or, in the event it does, would anything about the qualification for LIV events change enough for the OWGR to alter its decision? Does the merger imply an even worse chance for promotion into LIV’s $25 million events?
Meanwhile, the key question is how many LIV golfers will go on to compete in major championships, which typically invite players ranked in the top 50 or 60. Brooks Koepka will be there. Same with Cam Smith. But players who rely on their world rankings to receive invitations – the Kevin Nas, Harold Varners and Talor Gooches of the world – will have to qualify through other means. As for the Masters and PGA Championship, it looks difficult. For the US and UK Opens, there is a series of qualifying tournaments that they are free to enter. This season’s majors have seen between 15 and 18 LIV players compete, but next year’s Masters looks like that number could drop to single digits.
Of course, the OWGR-LIV relationship has been a two-way street for months, and changes are likely to come. The federation is free to adjust its qualification system. And he has clearly demonstrated his ability to make quick decisions. But with plans for 2024 already in place, it could take another year to implement. Nothing on the world rankings changes that quickly.