Report: The 'primary reason' why LIV Golf don't have world ranking points yet!

This is the 'primary reason' why LIV Golf don't have OWGR points yet, according to this report.

09 May 2023

Report: The 'primary reason' why LIV Golf don't have world ranking points yet! — Report: The 'primary reason' why LIV Golf don't have world ranking points…

Where do we even begin with LIV Golf and the debate around world rankings?

At this point the topic is undoubtedly more tiresome than getting to the first tee and slicing your brand new golf ball out of bounds.

It seems hard to believe we are coming up to the one-year anniversary of the breakaway tour led by Greg Norman submitting their application to the Official World Golf Ranking.

We have no idea the status of that application because the governing body conveniently won't discuss what's happening.

OWGR chairman Peter Dawson would only confirm the application was lodged and is pending.

Since then, we have seen some remarkable things happen.

LIV Golf linked up with the little-known MENA Tour in an attempt to essentially pull a fast one as their players plummeted down the world rankings at an alarming pace.

Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are just two players who have taken aim at the OWGR. Even Cameron Smith hasn't held back.

DeChambeau reckons the system is fast becoming 'obsolete' whereas Mickelson - who has been extremely active on social media in recent weeks - got involved in a fiery exchange with a fellow tour pro about the topic.

Lefty wrote:

"It is the owgr's job to rank ALL the players in the world. Maybe they can do THEIR job and figure it out like they do for multiple tours with hundreds of players not even close to as good. But that would hurt the PGA's revenue from CBS so the leaders won't."

Perhaps the most recent update we have from this process came last week from a report by SI's Alex Miceli.

Miceli quoted USGA boss Mike Whan - who sits on the OWGR board - as saying that the process won't be 'rushed' and they are still figuring it all out.

LIV fans might suggest the delay is deliberate.

But according to Alan Shipnuck of The FirePit, the 'primary issue' relates to the fact that LIV doesn't meet the average field size of 75.

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Reported Shipnuck:

"I've spoken to folks on the governing board and in their mind the primary issue is that LIV doesn’t meet the average field size of 75. But the ranking itself will automatically penalize LIV, based on the revised algorithm—announced in August 2021, before LIV had launched—that favors full fields over smaller one. As for protecting the tour, the governing board made a huge p.r. blunder by not forcing tour commissioner Jay Monahan or Euro Tour CEO Keith Pelley or Pelley's lieutenant Keith Waters to recuse themselves sooner. (They waited until December 2022, after having already participated in two board meetings.) But the fact is, the major championships control the OWGR, representing four of the seven seats on the governing board. (Chairman Peter Dawson does not have a vote.)"

LIV Golf are set to play their next event in Tulsa over 12-14 May.

Whatever happens, one thing is abundantly clear about this: the OWGR debate won't be settled for quite some time, if ever.

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