Breaking: LIV Golf denied Official World Golf Rankings factors4 min read

Gamers competing in LIV Golf occasions is not going to obtain Official World Golf Rating (OWGR) factors.

In accordance with Doug Ferguson of the Related Press, the OWGR board has denied LIV Golf’s software to the OWGR.

That software was first submitted in July 2022, when now LIV golfer Cameron Smith received The Open Championship at St. Andrews.

“We aren’t at struggle with them,” Peter Dawson, the previous CEO of the R&A and present chairman of the OWGR board, mentioned to the Related Press.

“This determination to not make them eligible just isn’t political. It’s fully technical. LIV gamers are self-evidently adequate to be ranked. They’re simply not taking part in in a format the place they are often ranked equitably with the opposite 24 gamers and 1000’s of gamers making an attempt to compete on them.”

Picture by Ross Parker/Getty Photos

LIV Golf options 54-hole occasions, shotgun begins, no cuts, and only a 48-man subject—not like {most professional} occasions all over the world.

But, the Saudi-backed tour options many main champions, together with Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka, who received the 2023 PGA Championship.

Louis Oosthuizen, who received The Open at St. Andrews in 2010, just lately blasted the OWGR, calling it a “PGA Tour rating system” and never a “world-ranking system.”

Nevertheless, the OWGR committee, which incorporates leaders from Augusta Nationwide, america Golf Affiliation, the PGA of America, and the R&A, feels that LIV Golf’s construction and format don’t function a good comparability to different excursions.

The committee additionally expressed concern with the group side of LIV Golf, a large element of the Saudi-backed tour.

As an example, final April, the week earlier than the Masters, Sebastian Muñoz’s Torgue GC held a one-shot lead within the group competitors.

In the meantime, Muñoz confronted a one-shot deficit to Koepka within the particular person portion of the occasion.

On the 18th gap, Muñoz wanted to make a birdie to power a playoff with the now five-time main champion. However as an alternative of being aggressive and going for the person victory, he lagged his putt and thus secured the victory for his group.

Picture by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Photos

That distinctive state of affairs brought on the OWGR to lift some eyebrows.

The committee additionally expressed fear concerning the league’s relegation and qualification formulation, as all 48 gamers compete in every of the 14 occasions.

LIV Golf doesn’t count on a lot turnover into 2024, as solely three gamers will likely be added for subsequent season.

That starkly contrasts the PGA Tour, which just lately awarded tour playing cards to 30 gamers who just lately graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour.

However, Dawson affirmed that main champions need to be ranked within the system, however the arithmetic of rank these on the LIV Golf circuit have but to be established.

“We have to discover a strategy to get that completed,” Dawson added to the Related Press. “I hope that LIV can discover a answer—not a lot their format, that may be handled by way of a mathematical formulation—however the qualification and relegation.”

In fact, Tuesday’s announcement comes simply days after Yasir al-Rumayyan, the Governor of the Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF) and benefactor of LIV Golf, performed a spherical with Dawson on the Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship at St. Andrews.

The day earlier than, al-Rumayyan performed alongside Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A.

Regardless of that, LIV Golf is not going to obtain OWGR factors, at the very least for now.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. Be sure you try @_PlayingThrough too.