As we approach the Masters and the start of the 2024 majors season, you might be hearing about LIV players’ limited opportunities to qualify for the four major tournaments. The Official World Golf Rankings’ choice to exclude LIV tournaments from earning OWGR points is a major reason that we may not see many LIV golfers in major tournaments going forward. We break down how joining LIV hurts players in the Official World Golf Rankings, and therefore limits their chances at pursuing major titles.
How are OWGR points determined?
Golfers can earn points toward the Official World Golf Rankings through tournament finishes. A certain number of OWGR points based on the strength of the field are available to win at each tournament in the eligible professional tours as well as the four majors. The winning golfer usually earns around 17% or 18% of the available points. The rest of the points are distributed on a decreasing scale to all other finishers to made the cut.
Why do they matter?
OWGR points are used as a metric to determine which golfers qualify for the four major tournaments — the Masters, the PGA Championship, the Open Championship, and the US Open. While there are other metrics used, as well (for instance, PGA TOUR wins or previous major wins) the OWGR is a big decider for the majors’ fields.
How are LIV golfers being affected in the OWGR?
LIV golfers are currently banned from participating in PGA TOUR events, and the OWGR Chairman denied LIV’s request for their tournaments to qualify to earn OWGR points. Therefore there is virtually no way for LIV golfers to qualify for the majors unless they have won a major in recent years, or are still coasting on an OWGR ranking from before they defected from the PGA TOUR to join LIV.
This group is limited to just a few golfers, including Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson. Those who have not recently won a major are effectively removed from consideration going forward as they continue to drop in the rankings. Rahm expressed dissatisfaction with the current rankings system on Wednesday, saying, “I think anybody who watches golf can tell who the best players in the world are. Obviously I don’t think the ranking is reflective of that right now to its entirety.”
However, LIV golfers are still allowed to play in DP World Tour events to earn OWGR points, and many of the lower-profile members of LIV choose to participate in European events to stay in contention for the majors.