LIV Golf Secures World Ranking Points Amid Key Conditions

The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has announced a significant change: LIV Golf players will now receive ranking points. This decision was made by the OWGR governing board during a meeting held on Tuesday.

LIV Golf’s Ranking Points Approval

The board unanimously agreed to award points starting with the season-opening tournament in Saudi Arabia. However, this approval comes with specific conditions:

• Only the top 10 finishers at each LIV event will earn points.
• The field rating for LIV tournaments will align with opposite-field events on the PGA Tour.

Winners at LIV events are projected to receive 23 ranking points. In comparison, the previous year’s ISCO Championship winner earned 24 points. The Farmers Insurance Open awarded 56 points to Justin Rose for his victory, while Frederik Schott secured 20 points in the DP World Tour event.

Negotiations for Inclusion

This announcement follows extensive negotiations. LIV Golf applied for ranking points in 2023 but withdrew its application in March 2024 due to concerns from the OWGR board about its promotional structure.

Then-OWGR chairman Peter Dawson highlighted the necessity for a system that invites new players based on performance while ensuring relegation of underperformers. The current OWGR chairman, Trevor Immelman, stated that discussions between LIV and the ranking board had been ongoing, emphasizing the complexity of the situation.

Changes in Player Promotions

LIV Golf’s format has been adjusted to provide promotions for players. Initially, there were three spots available through a promotional event and one through the season-long points list. This has now increased to:

• Three spots from the promotions event.
• Two spots for the International Series.

Responses from the Golf Community

The PGA Tour acknowledged the decision by the OWGR and the efforts made by Immelman and the board. They recognized the importance of ranking top players while maintaining fairness for competitors in other tours.

LIV Golf believes this decision is a crucial step for fairness in rankings. However, they also expressed concerns about the new conditions. Notably, under the new rules, players finishing 11th are treated the same as those finishing 57th.

LIV Golf emphasized the need for transparency, credibility, and an equitable ranking system for all players, regardless of their tour affiliation.