LIV Golf pros get Golf World Ranking Points just not in the way they would want

LIV Golf players have been included in Sports Illustrated's new Golf World Rankings list.

23 Feb 2023

LIV Golf pros get Golf World Ranking Points just not in the way they would want — LIV Golf pros get Golf World Ranking Points just not in the way they would…

LIV Golf players have been included in Sports Illustrated's new Golf World Rankings in a bid to properly measure the best players on the planet in 2023.

As it stands, LIV Golf League tournaments remain shut out of receiving any Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

Which tournament will you spend most time watching this week?
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) February 23, 2023

So Sports Illustrated has partnered with Golf Intelligence and taken matters into their own hands with a brand new World's Top 100.

Do you agree with their list? Scroll below to check it out in full.

While there are multiple changes in their fresh world ranking list, the top three players in the world remain the same with Jon Rahm at #1, Scottie Scheffler at #2 and Rory McIlroy at #3.

But there are some big changes elsewhere, in particular with Will Zalatoris coming in at #4 as opposed to his current official ranking of #7.

LIV Golf's Cameron Smith is in sixth as opposed to fifth, while Dustin Johnson, who unthinkably lies 54th in the OWGR right now, is an unlucky 13th with Sports Illustrated.

Rather worrying for the Saudi-banrkolled circuit though, they are the only two LIV Golf players in the Top 20.

So how does the Sports Illustrated Golf World Ranking work exactly?

Sports Illustrated's new world ranking formula goes back the last 12 months, as opposed to the OWGR which is measured over 24 months.

The second aspect is that OWGR excludes LIV Golf players, but SI does not.

They have only included 100 players in the men's game for now, but they are looking to expand it further now the wheels are in motion.

SI also plans to unveil one for LPGA Tour pros.

Here's what SI has to say:

The SI World Golf Rankings seek to address concerns about the widely utilized world rankings system and offer an alternative that:

- Reflects the importance of measuring results from the most immediate 12 months, whereas current world rankings include tournament results as far back as two years ago.

- Leverages data and a proprietary formula to evaluate player performance, inclusive of the competition across all tours.

Partnering with Golf Intelligence, the rankings weigh 12 months of player results along with calculations for strength-of-field and course difficulty.

All professional golfers will continue to accrue points in 2023 and LIV golfers receive points for events they played in 2022.

While it will initially rank the top 100 players in men’s golf, it will soon expand to be larger and a women’s ranking is slated for release at a later date.

Sports Illustrated Golf World Ranking - Top 20 (February 2023)

#1 - Jon Rahm (PGA Tour)
#2 - Scottie Scheffler (PGA Tour)
#3 - Rory McIlroy (PGA Tour)
#4 - Will Zalatoris (PGA Tour)
#5 - Patrick Cantlay (PGA Tour)
#6 - Cameron Smith (LIV Golf)
#7 - Max Homa (PGA Tour)
#8 - Xander Schauffele (PGA Tour)
#9 - Justin Thomas (PGA Tour)
#10 - Tony Finau (PGA Tour)
#11 - Collin Morikawa (PGA Tour)
#12 - Matt Fitzpatrick (PGA Tour)
#13 - Dustin Johnson (LIV Golf)
#14 - Cameron Young (PGA Tour)
#15 - Tom Kim (PGA Tour)
#16 - Sam Burns (PGA Tour)
#17 - Sungjae Im (PGA Tour)
#18 - Keegan Bradley (PGA Tour)
#19 - Jordan Spieth (PGA Tour)
#20 - Shane Lowry (PGA Tour)

Official World Golf Ranking - Top 20 (February 2023)

#1 - Jon Rahm (PGA Tour)
#2 - Scottie Scheffler (PGA Tour)
#3 - Rory McIlroy (PGA Tour)
#4 - Patrick Cantlay (PGA Tour)
#5 - Cameron Smith (LIV Golf)
#6 - Xander Schauffele (PGA Tour)
#7 - Will Zalatoris (PGA Tour)
#8 - Max Homa (PGA Tour)
#9 - Justin Thomas (PGA Tour)
#10 - Collin Morikawa (PGA Tour)
#11 - Viktor Hovland (PGA Tour)
#12 - Tony Finau (PGA Tour)
#13 - Matt Fitzpatrick (PGA Tour)
#14 - Sam Burns (PGA Tour)
#15 - Tom Kim (PGA Tour)
#16 - Cameron Young (PGA Tour)
#17 - Jordan Spieth (PGA Tour)
#18 - Sungjae Im (PGA Tour)
#19 - Billy Horschel (PGA Tour)
#20 - Shane Lowry (PGA Tour)

Check out the full SI Golf World Rankings here.

Six-time European Tour winner Tony Johnstone had some strong words about LIV Golf in our latest podcast episode, which you can watch below.

Four-time major champion Ernie Els also blasted LIV Golf for even being in the shake up for world ranking points.

Will LIV Golf players ever get OWGR points? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels or come and gives us your views over on the GolfMagic YouTube Channel.