The Saudi-funded LIV Golf circuit have criticised the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) over their “unprecedented” ruling despite being granted rankings points ahead of the first event of the new season.
The OWGR confirmed that for the first time those that finish inside the top 10 of each individual LIV Golf event will be eligible to earn official world rankings points in what the chairman of the OWGR, Trevor Immelman, described as an “incredibly complex and challenging process” since the circuit submitted their application in July 2022.
A statement released by the OWGR read: “After conducting an exhaustive and collaborative process, and in an effort to reflect the changing landscape of the men’s professional game, the OWGR Board has made the decision to award world ranking points to LIV Golf events for the 2026 season.
“Ranking points will be allocated to the top-10 finishers (and ties) in LIV Golf’s individual stroke play events, which recognises there are a number of areas where LIV Golf does not meet the eligibility standards set out by OWGR.”
The OWGR explained that the average size of LIV Golf’s field was a key factor in its verdict with the average field size at 57 compared to the minimum of 75 that is laid out in the regulations.
However, LIV Golf have hit out at the decision to award points to only the top-10 finishers in the individual events.
In a statement released following the OWGR’s decision, LIV Golf said: “We acknowledge this long‑overdue moment of recognition, which affirms the fundamental principle that performance on the course should matter, regardless of where the competition takes place.
“However, this outcome is unprecedented. Under these rules, a player finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th. Limiting points to only the top 10 finishers disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold, as well as emerging talent working to establish themselves on the world stage—precisely the players a fair and meritocratic ranking system is designed to recognize.
“No other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction. We expect this is merely a first step toward a structure that fully and fairly serves the players, the fans, and the future of the sport.
“We entered this process in good faith and will continue to advocate for a ranking system that reflects performance over affiliation. The game deserves transparency. The fans deserve credibility. And the players deserve a system that treats them equally.”
The OWGR affirmed that it acknowledges the evolution of the circuit for 2027 and plans “further changes for the 2027 season which OWGR will continue to evaluate.”
The season-opener of the 2026 LIV Golf season is LIV Golf Riyadh taking place between 4-7 February at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia.