Why LIV Golf Is Only Able To Offer OWGR Points To Its Top 10

Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Scott O'Neil standing next to each other at a LIV Golf tournament

(Image credit: Getty Images)

LIV Golf has finally managed to get its Official World Golf Ranking application over the line, but points will only go to the top-10 finishers in its fields of 57.

The process was 'exhaustive and collaborative' according to the OWGR, which admitted the Saudi-backed circuit did not meet a number of its eligibility requirements.

The reason why only the top-10 will receive points this year is due to LIV not meeting a number of OWGR eligibility requirements.

It means LIV is being classed as 'Small Field Tournaments' with a 'Ranking points distribution cutoff' applied to the top-10.

Do you think LIV's OWGR decision is fair or should point be awarded to more than just the top-10? Let us know in the comments section.

What doesn't the OWGR like about LIV Golf events?

A golfer swings behind a LIV Golf Promotions board

"The Board’s overriding aim was to identify an equitable way of ranking the best men’s players in the world, including the top performing players in LIV Golf, while taking account of the eligibility standards that LIV Golf does not currently meet and the fact that it operates differently from other ranked tours in a number of respects," the OWGR said.

So, which particular aspects do not meet the criteria?

Firstly, LIV's field size falls short of the minimum of 75 in the OWGR Regulations. This has actually been increased from the 2025 season when it was 54, with three extra wildcards added for the upcoming campaign.

The OWGR also has an issue with LIV's tour being made up exclusively of no-cut tournaments.

Another issue, and perhaps the biggest, is LIV's promotion and relegation system as well as how it signs players to contracts from other tours and drops players from the league who have finished higher than others who have remained.

The OWGR described LIV's pathways as 'restrictive' after two spots were awarded via the International Series Rankings and three were given to the Promotions tournament. The Promotions event was described as 'closed', with the OWGR citing that it did not "offset the turnover of players exiting the league."

It also made mention of the Jinichiro Kozuma scenario, where he was removed from the league, and the newly rebranded Korean GC team, due to his nationality after the Japanese player finished above the relegation zone but still saw the exit.

"Self-selection of players with players being recruited rather than earning their place on the tour in many cases and, in recent days, the addition/removal of players to/from teams based on their nationality rather than for meritocratic reasons," an OWGR statement said when listing where LIV Golf doesn't meet its criteria.

A number of 'self-selection' transfers have taken place this off-season, with the likes of Thomas Detry, Victor Perez, Laurie Canter and Michael La Sasso all signed to the tour without coming through official qualifying routes.

LIV Golf is likely relieved to have got the application over the line but is not happy that only the top-10 will earn points.

LIV Golf statement on OWGR points:

"The stated mission of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is to “administer and publish a transparent, credible, and accurate ranking based on the relative performances of players participating in male Eligible Golf Tours worldwide.”

"We acknowledge this long‑overdue moment of recognition, which affirms the fundamental principle that performance on the course should matter, regardless of where the competition takes place.

"However, this outcome is unprecedented. Under these rules, a player finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th. Limiting points to only the top 10 finishers disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold, as well as emerging talent working to establish themselves on the world stage—precisely the players a fair and meritocratic ranking system is designed to recognize.

"No other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction. We expect this is merely a first step toward a structure that fully and fairly serves the players, the fans, and the future of the sport.

"We entered this process in good faith and will continue to advocate for a ranking system that reflects performance over affiliation. The game deserves transparency. The fans deserve credibility. And the players deserve a system that treats them equally."

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He covered the 2022 and 2025 Masters from Augusta National and was there by the 18th green to watch Rory McIlroy complete the career grand slam. He has also covered five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews.

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