Seven big name players who lost the most amount of Data Golf ranking points in 2025
A number of standout players on both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf fell out of the top 100 on Data Golf having started the year inside the top 50.
A handful of golf’s biggest names saw their stock plummet in the Data Golf rankings in 2025 — none more dramatically than PGA Tour veteran Tony Finau.
While the Official World Golf Ranking remains the sport’s formal benchmark, its continued exclusion of LIV Golf events has pushed many fans and analysts toward Data Golf’s model as a more accurate read on the professional landscape. And according to Golf Digest’s Jamie Kennedy, the numbers weren’t kind to several high-profile players this season.
Kennedy highlighted seven stars from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf who tumbled from inside the top 50 to outside the top 100 in Data Golf’s system — a group he bluntly dubbed the “biggest losers” of 2025.
Finau suffered the steepest fall of all, free-falling from 20th to 147th after a season in which he posted just one top-10 finish.
Once linked heavily to a move to LIV, Finau’s form has slid steadily since, a stark contrast to the six-time winner’s peak years.
The drop-offs didn’t stop there.
Sahith Theegala (32 to 155), Tom Kim (21 to 139), Brooks Koepka (45 to 159), Sergio Garcia (40 to 140), Sungjae Im (12 to 109) and Mackenzie Hughes (12 to 109) rounded out the list of major movers in the wrong direction.
Biggest losers of 2025...
— Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) November 25, 2025
The biggest drop in @DataGolf ranking of those players who started the year inside the top 50.
• Tony Finau (20 → 147)
• Sahith Theegala (32 → 155)
• Tom Kim (21 → 139)
• Brooks Koepka (45 → 159)
• Sergio Garcia (40 → 140)
• Sungjae Im (12… pic.twitter.com/F8XK7FVMB5
The big question on everyone's lips as we head into 2026, is will LIV Golf players receive OWGR points in their events now they have switched from 54 to 72 holes.
All will be revealed soon.
What is Data Golf?
Launched in 2016, Data Golf has become a leading analytics platform, offering statistical models, strokes-gained-based rankings, predictive tools, interactive visualizations and a vast database of global professional golf results.
Its transparent methodology and emphasis on recent performance make it a favourite among fans, media and bettors.
How does it differ from OWGR?
Unlike the OWGR’s two-year, points-based system weighted by tournament prestige, Data Golf leans on shot-by-shot performance metrics and applies an exponential decay to reward current form.
Its approach is fully transparent — a sharp contrast to the criticism often levelled at the OWGR’s opaque point structure.
Feature | Data Golf | OWGR |
|---|---|---|
Core Methodology | Strokes gained: measures performance against the field shot-by-shot. | Points-based: awards points based on tournament strength and finishing position. |
Ranking Calculation | Uses field-strength-adjusted scoring with exponential time decay to prioritise recent form. | Two-year rolling window, averaging points; recent updates have added more advanced metrics. |
Transparency | Fully transparent methodology, including regression models and baselines. | Frequently criticised for limited transparency. |
Field Strength | Evaluates players’ strokes-gained profiles to calculate true field quality. | Uses strokes gained to assess field strength, a change made after consulting Data Golf’s creators. |
Predictive Accuracy | Widely viewed as more predictive of future performance. | Considered less predictive than Data Golf by many analysts. |
Which ranking system do you prefer to look at to see a player's performance across the season? The traditional OWGR, or the newer Data Golf?
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Andy Roberts first joined GolfMagic on a month's work experience back in April 2011.
Andy then assumed the role of GolfMagic Editor in 2015.
