LIV Golf Makes Second Attempt at World Ranking Points
LIV Golf has reapplied for world ranking points in June after their initial application was rejected last October. The first attempt failed primarily because LIV events don’t include a cut and feature limited field sizes.
It’s unclear what’s different in the new application. LIV’s format remains largely unchanged – still featuring 54-hole tournaments without cuts and similar field sizes. Jon Rahm, speaking to media Wednesday at LIV Chicago, offered some potential solutions.
“There’s a process to hopefully enter those world ranking points and at least get our foot in the door,” Rahm said. “Then once we’re allowed, we can see what changes can be made to earn as many points as possible, while keeping the integrity of what LIV Golf is about.”
Rahm suggested several potential modifications that could increase point values. “Examples of that would be, let’s say with whatever we’re doing currently we get 20 world ranking points. If you add a fourth round, you go to 25. Is that worth it, is that not worth it?”
The current LIV structure makes some traditional golf tournament elements challenging to implement.
“Right now with as little players as we have, I don’t see a cut working very well, and with the teams, I think it would be a little odd,” Rahm explained. “But if the league were to expand and let’s say you go to 15 teams, you have 60 players, now you can actually possibly make something work.”
Trevor Immelman, chairman of the world ranking board, addressed LIV’s application last month: “The OWGR board is committed to a thorough evaluation process of all applications, and LIV’s application will be reviewed in accordance with OWGR’s criteria to ensure fairness, integrity and consistency.”
The ranking points issue has become increasingly urgent for LIV players. When the circuit launched in summer 2022, it boasted twelve players ranked in the world’s top 50. Today, only Bryson DeChambeau (16th) and Tyrrell Hatton (22nd) remain in that elite group. Many original LIV stars have seen their rankings plummet – Brooks Koepka now sits at 294th.
World rankings serve as a crucial pathway to major championship qualification. Without ranking points, LIV players face significant barriers to entry. This has prompted some majors, including the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, to create special exemptions for top LIV players to ensure thier participation in golf’s biggest events.
