Last week’s season opener in Riyadh was historic for LIV Golf, but Sergio Garcia sees the potential for trouble down the road.
Eleven players, including winner Elvis Smylie, were the first to collect Official World Golf Rankings points at an LIV event after the OWGR announced it would award points to players who finish in the top 10 at LIV events.
“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,” OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman said in a statement. “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.”
The OWGR’s decision loomed over the first week in Riyadh, with most players happy that the league was finally recognized but angry about the top-10 exclusion. Scott O’Neil, CEO of LIV Golf, called the OWGR’s decision “unprecedented.” Jon Rahm claimed it wasn’t fair.
Garcia is happy that LIV has finally been recognized by the OWGR after four seasons. The decision should benefit young players like Smylie and Josele Ballester by giving them a path to major championships as they embark on their professional careers. But Garcia thinks the top-10 score will ultimately be an anchor. One or two weeks outside the top 10 at any LIV event and all your OWGR winnings will disappear.
“It’s definitely a step forward,” Garcia said ahead of LIV Adelaide in Australia. “Is it fair?”
LIV Golf has changed its format this offseason by going from 54 holes to 72 holes. The move has been polarizing, with Rahm endorsing the move while Bryson DeChambeau and others remain skeptical.
On Tuesday, Garcia was asked if he thought LIV should implement a small reduction each week for the 57-man field. Garcia took the opportunity to address the OWGR’s decision to only award points to players who finish in the top 10.
“I mean, you could make a little cut, but I don’t think it would make that much of a difference,” Garcia said. “I think when it comes to points in the world rankings, they have already put us in the top ten. It’s kind of an unwritten rule, you could say.”
That “unwritten rule” has ruffled many feathers at LIV, but Smylie, the 23-year-old Australian who jumped to number 77 in the world after last week’s victory in Riyadh, is positive about the development. With points up for grabs at LIV, the young Australian sees this as a golden opportunity to play good golf and punch his ticket to all four majors. All he has to do is keep the pedal pressed and secure the available points.
“To be top 50 in the world definitely means getting into all four majors, which I came very close to achieving, so it’s great that we’re getting recognition,” Smylie said. “At the end of the day, good golf will come naturally, and yes, try to win a few more times. Ultimately, the Masters is something I’m thinking about right now. That’s a conversation I can start and that’s fuel on the fire for me.”
So while LIV didn’t get “the whole pie,” as Talor Gooch put it, the league now has more points than ever before. It helped Smylie jump 56 spots in the rankings and will allow other players to rise as long as they play good golf. Because only top 10 and draw points are awarded, a smaller number of players will have a chance to make significant winnings if they string together tournaments.
Ultimately, the ‘unwritten rule’ could end up being the wind in the sails of the few players who dominate the leading pack, while those who struggle to continue their OWGR freefall are left behind.
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