LIV Golf’s bid to have its players earn ranking points has been unanimously rejected by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) due to concerns about the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit’s format.
OWGR Chairman Peter Dawson said in a letter sent on Tuesday to LIV Golf’s Chief Executive Greg Norman and Chief Operating Officer Gary Davidson, that “at this time” LIV Golf will not be recognized as an Eligible Golf Tour in the OWGR system.
LIV Golf, whose player roster includes major champions Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Cameron Smith, said the OWGR’s decision means the organization can no longer deliver on its objective to rank the best players in the world.
“Professional golf is now without a true or global scoring and ranking system,” LIV Golf said in a statement. “There is no benefit for fans or players from the lack of trust or clarity as long as the best player performances are not recognized.”
Dawson said the Board Committee felt LIV Golf’s tournament format – 54-hole, no-cut events for 48 players – was an issue but added that it was one that was capable of being managed through an “appropriate mathematical formula.”
The board did not make a determination what that adjustment might be and will not do so while there are other “unresolved deficiencies” which render performance comparisons with players competing in existing OWGR Tour events extremely difficult.
The bigger concern, according to the letter, is the limited access for players to join LIV Golf which, barring injury, features the same 48 players all season.
The letter also revealed that LIV informed the OWGR in July that 14 players will be invited back next season regardless of their performance, more than double the number that LIV officials originally told the OWGR.
“Simply put, the Board Committee does not believe it is equitable to thousands of players who strive every day to get starts in OWGR Eligible Tournaments to have a tour operate in this mostly closed fashion,” Dawson wrote.
Dawson also said the Committee remains concerned about the implications of conducting individual and team competitions simultaneously and singled out actions and comments attributed to Sebastian Munoz during an April tournament.
