LIV Golf members are not biting their tongues following a decision from the board of the Official World Golf Rankings to deny the upstart league world ranking points. According to the OWGR chairman Peter Dawson, LIV Golf’s main shortfall in their application is the fact some players are unable to be relegated from the league regardless of performance due to contracts.
These players are LIV Golf’s biggest attractions: Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith, among others. While they may be locked in for major championships over the next handful of years, their peers are not, and the pathway is effectively blocked for the time being. Without the influx of world ranking points, LIV Golf members without prior major championship exemptions are likely to be omitted from the four biggest championships each year.
“It’s just been par for the course, unfortunately, and I think at this point in time now that they’re not allowing it, we would love to find another way to be integrated into the major championship system since I think we have some of the best players in the world,” said DeChambeau. “Top 12 on the list, the money list at the end of the year or the points list at the end of the year would be, I think, obvious for the major championships to host the best players in the world at those four events each year.”
The 2020 U.S. Open champion brings up an interesting talking point regarding exemptions for the top performers in the league. Those players who qualify for the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour receive exemptions into the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open.
DeChambeau currently ranks third in the LIV Golf season-long race behind Smith and Talor Gooch. Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are among the top 12 on the points list; all are qualified through this next year of major championships. While their inclusion is warranted, some may argue that Anirban Lahiri (No. 10), Harold Varner III (No. 11) and Peter Uihlein (No. 12) should not be eligible.
“The up-and-coming guys [are affected the most] for sure,” said Smith. “Talor has had probably his best career year. To see him probably not going to be in the majors next year is pretty poor. That’s the biggest thing — finding a resolution for those majors. If they do it, great. If they don’t, I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s a pretty sour place to be in at the moment.”
If LIV Golf chooses to tweak some aspects of the league like the relegation process (of which it currently has some form) and the team competition (drew some ridicule), their next application could be accepted. Dawson just about said so.
However, as it stands, LIV Golf is without world ranking points and without an avenue for their young, up-and-coming players — like David Puig, Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra or Joaquin Niemann — to earn spots in major championships if not through the open qualifying process for the U.S. Open and The Open.
“I feel like you can’t really use the world ranking system anymore. That’s my take on it,” said Johnson. “Hard to use the world ranking system if you’re excluding 48 guys that are good players. The rankings are skewed.
“It doesn’t really affect me as it does some of the other guys. I want the points for the other guys.”