AAfter years of debate and disagreement, world golf rankings points will now be awarded to LIV Golf, albeit on a limited basis that reflects the tour’s unique framework.
In making the announcement Tuesday, the Official World Golf Ranking said points will be awarded to the top 10 finishers of LIV Golf’s individual stroke play events, a decision “which recognizes that there are a number of areas where LIV Golf does not meet OWGR’s eligibility standards.”
Due to the team-based structure, the number of players under contract with the league regardless of their performance and the limited relegation within the league’s structure, the OWGR initially denied points to LIV Golf, despite assurances from former CEO Greg Norman that players who joined the league would be eligible for ranking points when the league began play in 2022.
Norman eventually withdrew LIV’s request for ranking points, but the league reapplied last year when Scott O’Neil replaced Norman as CEO. The decision yields something for LIV Golf, but probably much less than it had hoped.
“We fully recognized the need to rank the best men’s players in the world, but at the same time needed to find a way to do so that was fair to the thousands of other players competing on other tours that operate under established meritocratic pathways.” –Trevor Immelman
The competition’s points will be based on the OWGR’s guidelines for small-field tournaments and will be limited to top 10 and ties, in part due to LIV’s failure to meet other ranking organization eligibility requirements.
“This has been an incredibly complex and challenging process and we have spent a tremendous amount of time and energy on it in the seven months since LIV Golf submitted their application. We fully recognized the need to rank the best men’s players in the world, but at the same time had to find a way to do so that was fair to the thousands of other players competing on other tours that operate with established meritocratic pathways,” OWGR President Trevor Immelman said in a statement.
“We believe we have found a solution that achieves these dual objectives and allows the top performers at LIV Golf events to receive OWGR points.”
Winners receive approximately the same number of ranking points as the winners of opposite-field events on the PGA Tour. Earning ranking points is crucial for some LIV players to qualify for major championships.
According to the OWGR, the winner of LIV Golf’s season-opening tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week will receive 23.03 points. By comparison, Justin Rose earned 56.96 points for winning the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open and Scottie Scheffler earned 65.22 points for capturing the American Express.
Last year, Ryan Fox earned 27.73 points for winning the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic versus the Truist Championship on the PGA Tour.
Immelman also said the organization will continue to evaluate LIV’s eligibility as it moves to 72-hole events this year, with indications that further changes will occur in 2027.
LIV’s 57-player field does not meet the OWGR’s 75-player minimum and all events are no-cut tournaments. The OWGR also mentioned the limited pathways to LIV Golf, including the addition and removal of some players to and from the league based on their nationality rather than merit.
In a statement Tuesday, O’Neil acknowledged the OWGR’s move but disputed its limitations.
“We recognize this long-awaited moment of recognition, which affirms the fundamental principle that performance on the course should matter, regardless of where the competition takes place,” said O’Neil.
“However, this outcome is unprecedented. Under these rules, a player who finishes 11th in an LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player who finishes 57th. Limiting points to only the top 10 finishers disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold, as well as emerging talent trying to establish themselves on the world stage – the very players that a fair and meritocratic ranking system should recognize.
“No other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subject to such a restriction. We expect this to be just the first step toward a structure that fully and fairly serves the players, the fans and the future of the sport.”
“So that’s definitely made us change our minds about it. I have a contract for this year, and we’ll go through it there and see what happens next. … Is this what we ultimately signed for? No.” – Bryson DeChambeau, on LIV Golf’s shift from 54- to 72-hole events
The news comes as LIV Golf begins its 2026 season in the wake of Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour and Patrick Reed’s announcement that he will follow suit later this year.
It was recently made clear by Bryson DeChambeau, the tour’s biggest star, that the switch from 54 holes is not sitting well with some players.
“It’s certainly changed from what we were originally told was going to happen. So there’s a movement that we’ve all, I would say, been interested in that asks, ‘Why that movement?’ Because we were told this was what it was going to be,” DeChambeau said Today’s golfer.
“So that definitely made us think differently. I have a contract for this year, and we’ll go through it there and see what happens next. … Is this what we signed up for in the end? No. So I think we have to be different, so I’m a little different with it now. Hopefully it weighs positively on me over time, but you never know. I’m not sure. We didn’t sign up to play for 72.”
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