LIV Golf boss tears into OWGR: "It doesn't seem transparent"

LIV Golf commissioner Scott O'Neil says the ruling to only award the top 10 finishers with world ranking points doesn't seem fair.

The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) revealed on Tuesday to award LIV players with points for the very first time. 

LIV applied for accreditation in 2022 under controversial tenure of two-time Open champion Greg Norman. 

Norman withdrew their application entirely in October 2023 but O'Neil spearheaded LIV's renewed bid that was lodged before last year's Masters. 

Since LIV's fourth season concluded last summer, the league has made several notable changes in an effort to appease the OWGR. 

They now contest their tournaments over 72 holes instead of 54, enforce relegation and field sizes have increased to 57 players. 

But the OWGR said it was restricting points to the top 10 finishers because there still remain "a number of areas" where LIV doesn't meet the eligibility standards. 

Over the past 24 hours, several LIV players have voiced their anger. 

Jon Rahm fumed after the first round of their curtain-raiser in Riyadh whilst American Talor Gooch said he longed for the day LIV was treated the same as everyone else. 

Former world number one Lee Westwood said he had no idea how the OWGR came to their conclusion. 

O'Neil told Mirror Sport US that the "dominant global golf league" has not received a fair outcome. 

"I don't know if you know the book 'A Tale of Two Cities', but the opening line says 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times', so that's how I felt when I heard.

"I've been blessed to spend a lot of time with Trevor Immelman, and I have a lot of time for him. He came in guns ablazing and said, 'Let's sort this thing out.'

"I mean, I talk to him way too much, three, four times a day. I sent him, I don't know, two dozen decks of analytics and information as to why we think we are what we are, which is the dominant global golf league in the world, period, end of sentence.

"So to be recognized, can you imagine when we look at the board? It has commissioner Jay Monahan of the PGA Tour on the board, it has Guy Kinnings from the DP World Tour. Those are two really strong forces. Friends, long-time friends of mine in both cases.

"They are good people and good executives, but they have the most to lose and they are voting members, in the room, so the fact that they are voting for us, with all they have to lose, is a pretty good sign for us."

O'Neil continued: "That being said, if you look at what's happening around the world, the OWGR, I don't know, what do they cover, 50 tours? 

"Any of them that have no cut, there is 15 percent of the field that don't get points; 82 percent of our field doesn't get points.

"You look at their mission statement and it says 'we're fair and transparent.' 

"This doesn't feel fair, and it certainly isn't transparent, so I would say thank you to Trevor and your leadership, thank you to the majors who are also on the board. I appreciate the support."

O'Neil said he hoped this was the first step as he believes the top 25 players in LIV Golf can compete with the same number on the PGA Tour. 

"And that's analytics speaking, that's not me, not bluster," he said. "I will show you any data point you want to see, I will roll it out to you."

O'Neil vowed to move forward with "grace". 

"Sometimes you have to take half a step back to take two steps forward, and this might be one of those times."