The arrival of Scott ONeil as CEO of LIV Golf a year ago was intended to give a significant boost to a circuit that has only been operating for four years. One of the measures he adopted was to resume requesting World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, and more recently, it was announced that the tournaments in this competition would be extended from 54 to 72 holes. This seemed to be an essential requirement for the OWGR to grant their request this time around.
Liv Golf, situation
Along the way, Brooks Koepka has left the league despite having a year remaining on his contract. Several stars will be leaving LIV in 2026, making it crucial to provide players with incentives that recognize their performance beyond just monetary rewards. Enabling golfers to earn ranking points through LIV tournaments is vital for the circuit's growth.
This Tuesday, LIV Golf received news regarding its request for points. These weren't exactly positive, but at least they were neutral, and it seems the OWGR wants to reach a solution. OWGR Chairman Trevor Immelman issued a statement: Since the end of June, the Board of Directors has been working diligently to thoroughly evaluate LIV Golfs application. We remain committed to the OWGRs mission, which demands honoring the meritocracy inherent in professional golf. Therefore, discussions have been regular and ongoing. It should be noted that progress has been made, but there is no decision to share at this time. We will continue to work closely with LIV Golf as the matter evolves to ensure their application is handled with fairness, integrity, and consistency, as previously stated.
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Ironically, in Immelman's statement regarding the status of the LIV application, he announced "updates on how 54-hole tournaments and other reduced events will be calculated going forward." In other words, we're not just talking about those tournaments that, for whatever reason, are forced to switch from 72 to 54 or 36 holes. There's also the case of "all scheduled 54-hole events, which will receive 75% of the originally calculated score and ranking points distribution."
"It was necessary to address events with fewer than 72 holes," Immelman stated in the press release. When the OWGR Board rejected LIV Golf's initial application in 2023, they cited the league's tournament format (54 holes, no cut, with a total of 48 players) and the limited promotion and relegation structure as the two main obstacles. LIV has certainly made progress (except regarding the cut), and therefore the rigidity of the world ranking would be inappropriate for a competition that deserves to be valued on a sporting level, just like any other.
