Sergio Garcia has branded the Official World Golf Ranking’s (OWGR) new ruling for LIV Golf players ‘unfair’, after it was revealed that only players finishing inside the top-10 at LIV-sanctioned events would be awarded rankings points.
The landmark move was announced last Tuesday, and while it may have been a huge moment for LIV Golf bosses who have campaigned for nearly four years to get their players OWGR recognition, the league issued a scathing statement, claiming that ‘no other tour in OWGR history had been subjected to such a restriction’.
In making their determinations, OWGR chiefs reasoned that LIV Golf had still not met its eligibility criteria, even after the tour had announced that it would be moving to a 72-hole format.
While the change means that LIV players can now measure themselves with those competing on the other 24 men’s professional golf tours and gain a chance to qualify for the four major championships, the new ruling has been met with some disdain.
‘It’s definitely a step forward,’ Garcia said. ‘Is it fair? I mean, I guess time will tell us. It doesn’t feel like it’s totally fair.
‘With time, obviously. Now the first few weeks when one of us is winning, that guy is going to make a jump in the rankings, which is great, but then every time you finish 11th or worse, you’re getting a zero and you’re getting an extra event on your divisor.’
Sergio Garcia (pictured) has branded the OWGR’s decision to award LIV Golfers rankings points ‘unfair’ after it was revealed that only players finishing inside the top-10 at LIV-sanctioned events would be awarded rankings points
It comes as LIV player Elvis Smylie (pictured) moved up to No 77 in the rankings from world No 134, after he claimed victory at the Saudi-backed league’s season opener in Riyadh last week
Divisors refer to the number of tournaments a player competes in over a rolling two-year period, and are used to calculate their average ranking points.
‘So that in the near, a little farther future, it can hurt a lot. But like I said, it’s a step forward, so it is positive.’
Elvis Smylie shot up the OWGR rankings last week after he claimed victory in LIV’s curtain-raiser in Riyadh.
The Australian, who returns Down Under this week to play in front of his home fans at LIV Golf Adelaide, was handed 22.98 OWGR points, to move from No 134 in the world to No 77 – a career-high ranking. Should he break into the OWGR’s top-50 in the week before April 9, Smylie will gain an exemption to play in his first-ever Masters.
‘I think that at the end of the day, it’s going to help some of these kids perform well to move up the rankings. Hopefully they play really well,’ Garcia added.
‘But unfortunately, only 10 guys can finish in the top 10. Well, unless there are a couple of ties.
‘It would be nice if it was expanded a little bit farther, as we probably think it should. But hopefully it’ll come soon.’
Conversely, all players who make the cut at a PGA Tour or DP World Tour event earn OWGR points.
Garcia claimed that while the move was a step in the right direction, it would ‘hurt’ LIV Golfers
Cameron Smith (pictured) echoed the 2017 Masters champion’s comments, adding that he believes LIV players aren’t afforded as much respect as they perhaps should be
Cameron Smith echoed Garcia’s claims that this presented a ‘positive step’ forward for the breakaway league, but added he still feels that LIV players don’t get the recognition they perhaps deserve.
‘I think it’s a work in progress, probably still, but it is nice to have that behind us. That’s been a long time coming, so it’s nice to get the recognition,’ the 2022 Open Champion said.
‘It’s so hard out here. I don’t think we get the respect of the golfing world that maybe we sometimes deserve because of what it is and how we play.
‘I think it’s a work in progress, but it’s a step in the right direction, nonetheless. It was good for Elvis last week. He loves it.’
‘I just think it’s just how it’s become, unfortunately,’ Smith added.
‘Like Elvis last week played some of the best golf I think I’ve seen, and it’s unfortunate that the golfing world doesn’t see that how I see it, because I see it as that was a great performance and he held off probably one of the best golfers of our generation to win a golf tournament. Yeah, that’s just how it is, unfortunately.
‘I think we’re getting places. Yep, it’s getting better.’
Smylie, meanwhile, added: ‘Ultimately, the Masters is something that’s on my mind now. That’s a conversation that I can start to have and that is fuel to the fire for me. Let’s see what happens these next few weeks.’
In making their determinations, OWGR chiefs reasoned that LIV Golf had still not met its eligibility criteria, even after the tour had announced that it would be moving to a 72-hole format
LIV Golf hits out at the OWGR
In response to the OWGR’s decision, LIV Golf appeared to criticise the OWGR for failing to treat LIV players the same as those competing on the other professional tours.
‘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,’ a spokesperson said.
It added: ‘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.’
Delivering its reasoning behind the decision to award points to the top-10 finishers at LIV events, the OWGR explained that LIV tournaments fell under the classification of ‘Small Field Tournaments’ that have a ‘Ranking points distribution cut-off’.
LIV Golf had hit back at the ruling that only 10 of its players per tournament would get OWGR points (Pictured: LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil)
OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman (pictured) stated that the rankings body had tried to balance the interests of both LIV players and those on the other tours
‘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 in a statement.
The rankings system outlined LIV’s average field size of 57 as opposed to the minimum list of 75, set out in the OWR Regulations. It added that the tour only has exclusively no-cut events and that there were ‘restrictive pathways to join LIV Golf’.
OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman stated that the rankings system had looked to ensure that their decision was fair to both LIV players and players competing on other tours.
‘We fully recognised the need to rank the top men’s players in the world but at the same time had to find a way of doing so that was equitable to the thousands of other players competing on other tours that operate with established meritocratic pathways.
“We believe we have found a solution that achieves these twin aims and enables the best-performing players at LIV Golf events to receive OWGR points.’
