LIV Golf's New Unwanted OWGR Milestone Is A Reminder That Rankings Are Not Fit For Purpose

LIV Golf had an 'unwanted' milestone this week with none of its players in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time ever after Bryson DeChambeau slid down to 21st.

The Saudi-backed team tour was launched in June 2022 and it has yet to receive sanctioning by the world ranking board as its players continue to plummet down the list.

Some of its star players have eye-opening numbers next to their names, with Jon Rahm currently ranked 73rd in the world, Joaquin Niemann 103rd and Sebastian Munoz, who finished 4th in the season standings, occupying the 923rd spot.

Jon Rahm has been a big critic of LIV's lack of world rankings and at the start of the year called the OWGR's decision to not sanction LIV Golf as "wrong" and "not fair." Rahm had also previously described the rankings as "laughable."

In Data Golf's list, which is based on Strokes Gained, Rahm is 4th, Niemann 18th and Munoz 45th.

Cameron Smith, who joined in 2022 at World No.2 after winning The Open, ranks 252nd in the Official World Golf Ranking while Dustin Johnson is ranked 612th.

While there are no LIV players inside the OWGR's top 20, there are three in Data Golf's list. The OWGR has three in the top 50 versus DG's six.

I am a big fan of the OWGR and visit its website pretty much daily so it is frustrating that the current system of ranking golfers is not fit for purpose. It is supposed to rank the best golfers in the world and by not including LIV Golf, it is not doing that.

LIV and then-CEO Greg Norman withdrew the OWGR application in March 2024, telling his players that “a resolution which protects the accuracy, credibility and integrity of the OWGR rankings no longer exists."

Another application is in motion under Norman's successor Scott O'Neil with new OWGR chief Trevor Immelman.

"We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system," O'Neil said.

"We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 Major season.”

It is believed that the tour has struggled to gain sanctioning for a number of reasons including its concurrent individual and team formats, its lack of cuts and the promotion and relegation system.

The current relegation system appears to be far more robust than last year's, where Bubba Watson and Branden Grace both finished in the 'Drop Zone' before being reinstated due to business cases.

That rightly drew criticism for the league and it is something that O'Neil has changed in his first year in charge.

This time around, anybody in the relegation zone lost their place on the circuit, which saw Majesticks GC co-captain Henrik Stenson lose his spot as well as Wild Card Anthony Kim.

This is a measure that the OWGR will surely prefer but it does remain to be seen whether it can work around the team aspect and the lack of cuts. The cut issue seems simple in the sense that points could be awarded to just the top finishers but the individual and team format is a unique one.

The theory could be that a golfer may opt to play a little safer coming down the stretch for their team instead of going all-out for their individual score. For example they may need to par the final hole to win the team event so play more conservatively, which they might not do if they were playing purely for themselves.

If LIV Golf does get world ranking points, it won't be sorted straight away as the current rankings of its players mean that the Field Rating would still be weaker on paper that it is on the golf course.

Dustin Johnson has certainly regressed since leaving the PGA Tour but he should not be outside of the top 600 - Data Golf has him 119th. It's the same with Cameron Smith and a whole host of other LIV stalwarts.

Paul Casey, who recently finished in the top-25 at the European Masters, is outside of the top 1,000 while Talor Gooch, a four-time LIV Golf winner, is ranked 1,874th in the OWGR vs 78th in Data Golf.

Many fans will comment that the players knew what they were signing up for and that is correct. My argument isn't pro or anti-LIV it is merely calling for the OWGR to become better. If you disagree or have a view you'd like to share, let me know in the comment box below.

Nobody should feel sorry for Jon Rahm or Joaquin Niemann having low rankings, but it would just be nice that the 'Official' system included one of the strongest tours in the game.