LIV Golf has pushed for recognition by the Official World Golf Ranking ever since the Saudi-backed league began a few years ago, but it seems like LIV is now admitting defeat in that regard.
OWGR recognition would allow LIV Golf stars to earn points toward exemptions and other invitations into golf’s four major championships: Augusta National Golf Club, PGA of America, United States Golf Association, and The R&A. But LIV has been unable to earn recognition from the OWGR due to its format and style of play, and it sounds like they have given up trying.
“It is now clear that the best way forward for LIV as a league and you as LIV golfers is not through the current ranking system,” LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman wrote in a letter this week. “A resolution which protects the accuracy, credibility, and integrity of the OWGR rankings no longer exists. We have made enormous efforts to fight for you and to ensure your accomplishments are recognized within the existing ranking system. Unfortunately, the OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us.”
OWGR chairman Peter Dawson said the governing board had concerns about the limited pathways for players to join LIV Golf as it is seemingly invite-only only as well as the lack of turnover among players in the league. Additionally, OWGR had reservations about the team aspects of LIV Golf, which has players competing in individual and team competitions simultaneously over 54 holes, compared to other solely individual competitions around the league.
“We are not at war with them,” Dawson told the Associated Press in October. “This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical. LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.”
It’s clear that the OWGR will not recognize LIV Golf in its current state. So it’s clear that LIV Golf will now stop trying.
[ESPN]
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