LIV Golf’s laborious and to this point unfruitful attempts to secure Official World Golf Ranking points are not through, as it was announced on Friday that the fledgling golf circuit has re-applied after repeated attempts to gain critical status for its members.
Last year, LIV Golf withdrew its official bid for OWGR points, which was originally sent in June 2022. No LIV Golf events have been awarded OWGR points since the league’s first event in the United Kingdom in 2022, with its players forced to earn ranking points only in majors, the DP World Tour or Asian Tour, among others.
LIV Golf declined to comment to Golfweek about the report back in April, but the league made numerous changes this season, including hiring a new CEO in Scott O’Neil, signing a new media rights deal with Fox and continuing to tweak its schedule. O’Neil also helped a pair of teams, Legion XIII and Torque GC, sign contracts with OEMs for equipment deals, the first of their kind on LIV Golf. Other teams have signed apparel contracts.
In a story at our partner Reuters, the OWGR board said it will give the newest application a fair shake.
“The OWGR Board is committed to a thorough evaluation process of all applications,” Trevor Immelman, the chairman of the OWGR board of directors, said in a statement on Friday.
“LIV’s application will be reviewed in accordance with OWGR’s criteria to ensure fairness, integrity and consistency.”
“We appreciate the interest of LIV Golf – and all Tours – in contributing to the global landscape of men’s professional golf through OWGR. Further updates will be provided as the review progresses.”
The stakes are high for LIV’s star-studded roster as world rankings play a key role in determining entry into golf’s four majors.
The lack of ranking points has seen LIV Golf players tumble down the rankings, with former world number one Dustin Johnson now ranked number 957 in the OWGR.
Earning OWGR points would impact LIV in numerous ways, including allowing more of its players to qualify for major championships and possibly attracting more players to play for the Saudi-backed league. Rumors have run rampant about players not wanting to re-sign contracts with LIV Golf when they expire after this season and in 2026, including five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who said he hoped the league would be further along.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said they were hopeful of seeing progress in the review and approval process ahead of the 2026 major season.
“LIV Golf is committed to working together with the Official World Golf Ranking and its board to ensure the very best players are competing in the game’s most prestigious events,” O’Neil said.
“We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system.”
Golfweek’s Cameron Jourdan and Reuters’ Rohith Nair contributed to this report.
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