LIV Golf: No Decision on World Ranking Points at Year’s End
LIV Golf will end the year without a resolution on whether the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) will approve the 54-player league to receive ranking points, just like other golf tours worldwide. The OWGR also communicated that tournaments played over 54 or even 36 holes will experience a reduction in points compared to standard 72-hole events. Trevor Immelman, chairman of the OWGR, had mentioned two weeks ago that one of the obstacles was that the vast majority of LIV players were invited to join instead of earning their place, as is the case with the other 24 tours that are part of the OWGR system. An update issued on Tuesday only indicated that the board of directors continues to evaluate the application from LIV, the league funded by Saudi Arabia, submitted at the end of June.LIV Golf has made some changes for the new season. The league announced on Tuesday a field of 57 players, an increase from 54, with five players without a team. With a “shotgun” start, this means that a threesome will have to wait for another group to leave the course. The number of players who can earn a spot in LIV through its “Promotions” event next month is also increasing to three, instead of two. It was unclear whether that additional spot takes into account Brooks Koepka’s announcement that he would not play for LIV Golf in 2026. Immelman had previously said that the 54 holes LIV played during its first four years were never a big problem. LIV is changing to 72 holes for the 2026 season. LIV Golf will begin its season on February 4 in Saudi Arabia. It has maintained hope of being part of the OWGR system because the four majors used it as part of their qualifying criteria. Several tours that are part of the OWGR have 54-hole events scheduled, such as the Big Easy development tour in South Africa and the Dubai-based MENA Tour. The OWGR stated that 54-hole tournaments, or those reduced to 54 holes due to weather, will receive 75% of the original field rating and point distribution. Tournaments that end up being played to 36 holes will receive 50% of the original field rating. The European Tour had a couple of reduced tournaments this year to 54 holes, such as the South African Open and the Singapore Classic.We maintain our commitment to the OWGR mission, which requires honoring the meritocracy present in the professional game. Therefore, discussions have been regular and are ongoing. To be clear, progress has been made, but there is no decision to share at this time.
Trevor Immelman
