Tour confidential: LIV gets OWGR points, the great debate between players increases

Check-in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in sports and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week we discuss how LIV gets OWGR points, the key value of the Players Championship, and our favorite new golf clubs.

After years of competing for valuable World Ranking points, the OWGR has announced that it has accepted LIV Golf’s membership application and the league will receive points effective immediately. Although the OWGR said LIV fits into the classification of ‘small field tournaments’, points will only be awarded for top-10 finishers and ties. In its own statement, LIV said “a player who finishes 11th in an LIV Golf event will be treated in the same way as a player who finishes 57th” and that this “disproportionately disadvantages players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold.” How would you untangle this?

Zephyr Melton, associate game improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): Afraid that someone will rise above my pay grade. But I will say that LIV should be ecstatic with this result. Field depth has never been the league’s strong point, but they have always had some solid top talent. With this result, the big players (Rahm, DeChambeau, Hatton, Niemann) will finally get some points and have an easier time getting into the majors. It seems to be as good an outcome as they had hoped.

Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): I don’t feel like the untangling is necessary. LIV should be happy that it received recognition from the OWGR board. It should allow the best players to accumulate the same number of points awarded in an event on the opposite court. Elvis Smylie got more points for winning LIV Riyadh than Patrick Reed did for winning Qatar. It seems fair considering everything else the OWGR board noted, including selecting members for the tour “based on their nationality and not on meritocratic reasons.”

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): These points are a big problem. There would be relatively few points available outside the top 10 anyway, so – despite the complaint – what they achieved far outweighs what they didn’t. LIV’s young stars now have a legitimate route to moving up the ranks and working their way into the major leagues. For the likes of David Puig, Tom McKibbin and Elvis Smylie (plus more established professionals like Joaquin Niemann) that’s a potential game changer.

World Ranking points are valuable routes for LIV players to gain entry to major championships. But is last week’s news – and the points distribution – enough to lure players to LIV who were already unsure about their eligibility?

Melton: Maybe, but with the PIF seemingly restricting the LIV budget of late, I’m not sure the huge paydays of yesteryear are still feasible. Would a big name be willing to jump ship to LIV without a Rahm-like signing bonus? I’m not so sure.

Schrock: I doubt it. They might be able to lure one or two younger players who may have been on the fence, but I don’t think another big name will jump unless the PIF decides to loosen their belts.

The “big” debate resurfaced last week, when the PGA Tour released a Players Championship promotion with the tagline: “March is going to be big.” When asked for comment, the Tour told GOLF.com: “Fans and players have long discussed THE PLAYERS Championship’s status as a major. We understand that it is not up to us to decide. Ultimately, it is up to our sport and its fans to recognize what the professionals who play the game already know.” [Eds note: the Players, by definition, is not a major.] Any idea about the strange reports about this?

Melton: The Tour is just doing its job in promoting its biggest event. Does declaring the players majors make it that way? No, but you can’t blame the Tour for trying.

Schrock: The PGA Tour does not own the five major golf events. They promote their flagship product. Can the players be made a major? Probably not, but the majors as we know them weren’t “majors” until Arnold Palmer came up with the idea in the 1960s. The tournaments existed, but the idea of ​​a ‘major’ or the ‘grand slam’ could have meant anything until Palmer said he wanted to win the Open Championship and the PGA Championship to have a ‘grand slam’ of his own after winning the Masters and the US Open. Majors can be created and deleted. The PGA Tour might as well give it a try.

Dethier: I’ve gone into depth on this subject here, but one feeling I can’t shake is that there should be four major championships. Five a year suddenly ruins the history and very idea of ​​the Grand Slam, which is extremely important in contextualizing great golfers. The Players has exploded in recent years as the PGA Tour’s premier event. If it wants to become a major, it must organize a duel replace one instead of adding a fifth.

Days later, Brandel Chamblee made headlines when he said that the Players has the best and deepest field of players in golf and is “the hardest major championship to win,” adding, “the Players stands alone and above the other four major championships in my opinion as not only a major, but in my opinion the best major.” What’s going on here?

Melton: Okay, this one was definitely strange. I see an argument for making the Players a major, but to say it’s “the best” major? That’s a good choice. Thanks to Brandel for sticking his neck out, but I disagree.

Schrock: He honestly lost me a bit with the argument that because “Live From” airs on majors and the Players, it makes the Players a major. I’ll listen to an argument that the Players is more of a major than the PGA, but Brandel lost me with his monologue. But it got people talking!

Dethier: Brandel is a provocative thinker and talker. When he’s on TV, he has my attention. And some of its nuance was lost with this striking statement. That said, I think this clearly misses the point. A better major than the muscular, epic US Open? Then the famous, iconic Masters? Then the Open Championship and its 150-year history? The cover ruins the book for me here.

Regardless of what it’s called, do you agree with Chamblee that the Players is the hardest event to win?

Melton: Winning is hard, whether it’s your Saturday skins match or a major championship. Although all the issues in the final stretch at TPC Sawgrass make for a uniquely difficult tournament for the players to finish with an edge. I know I wouldn’t be comfortable with a one-shot lead going into those holes.

Schrock: I guess it all depends on who’s in the cauldron. We saw Rory quite effortlessly navigate TPC Sawgrass in a playoff to beat JJ Spaun, only to surrender at Pinehurst and Augusta. The final stretch at TPC Sawgrass may be the best in golf, but I think the majors might fall into a different category of pressure because of what they mean to a player’s legacy.

Dethier: Right now, the easiest argument against the players as a major is that it’s an exclusive PGA Tour event. Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are not allowed to play. But let’s put on our imagination caps for a moment. Is there a world where the Tour wants to take players to the next level by inviting LIV golfers and using the flagship event as a bridge? I’m not so sure. But I’m curious about their next step in this campaign.

Last week, GOLF launched Fully Fit 2026, where several of our dedicated staff tested and reviewed the latest and greatest gear available. Quick, what’s your favorite club you’ve added to your bag in recent years?

Melton: My Titleist GT1 9-wood (yes, 9-wood!). I can hit it much higher than a 4 iron and I can even hit it out of the Rough in a pinch. It’s quite a weapon.

Schrock: I’m excited to be adding the slant neck Odyssey No. 7 to my bag here soon. It can only help my shaky play on the greens.

Dethier: I got fitted into a TSi3 driver a few years ago and immediately started hitting more fairways. I would say the fit was as important as the golf club, making sure I got into the right shaft and head. It’s easier to trust.