A number of golf fans on social media are shocked to learn Korn Ferry Tour player Johnny Keefer has risen to 51st in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Keefer, 24, has certainly performed well on the lower-tier circuit with two victories among nine top-10 finishes this season.
That has seen the talented American surge to the top of the Korn Ferry Tour standings and deservedly punch his ticket to the PGA Tour in 2026.
Incredibly this week, Keefer even has a chance to set a new single-season scoring record across the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour.
Keefer’s scoring record stands at 67.79, which is the same as what Tiger Woods achieved in both 2000 and 2007 on the PGA Tour.
Keefer started this season well outside the top 200 in the OWGR.
But as it stands after this week’s latest OWGR update following a tie for seventh at the Compliance Solutions Championship, Keefer has now vaulted to a career-best 51st.
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He’s also now on the verge of playing his way into The Masters next April.
Keefer just needs to continue on his rapid rise and finish the season inside the top 50 to earn his first appearance at Augusta National.
He finished T61 on his major debut at the US Open in June.
Johnny Keefer is a new name to many golf fans
To many golf fans, Keefer is a new name and something of a surprise addition to the top 50 of the OWGR.
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He is so new to the pro game that he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page.
While some golf fans have applauded Keefer’s rise and think it’s very much fair, others think it’s something of a farce that a Korn Ferry Tour player has managed to creep so high up the OWGR, no matter his season.
“We’re at the point where you can get into the OWGR Top 50 by playing on the Korn Ferry Tour,” commented Pro Golf Critic on X / Twitter.
Some fans find it laughable that Marco Penge, who has won twice on the DP World Tour this season and is chasing World No.2 Rory McIlroy for the Race to Dubai, is sitting four spots behind Keefer in 55th position.
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“Wait this can’t be real?” commented one shocked fan.
“He’s ahead of Penge? Like what are we doing here?”
You could probably pick out plenty of other names at 52nd or worse on the OWGR and be pretty amazed to learn that Keefer is sat in front of them right now.
“Didn’t know this could be done, it’s comical,” wrote another.
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“Total joke, OWGR outdated,” tweeted one.
“OWGR laughable now,” commented a fan.
VIEW FULL OWGR HERE
Johnny Keefer Latest Results 2025
Tournament
Pos
Rank From
Rank To
Compliance Solutions Championship
T7
53
51
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
MC
55
55
Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation
T4
59
55
Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron
T15
57
57
Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse
MC
56
57
Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health
T7
56
56
NV5 Invitational
1
86
56
Other golf fans think Keefer’s position is fair.
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“It’s the second best tour on the planet so why not?” commented one.
“This has always been a thing btw,” wrote another.
One fan tweeted: “Michael Sim did something similar in 2009.”
Fans divided over Keefer’s OWGR position
How is the Official World Golf Ranking measured?
Here’s the official statement from OWGR:
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Eligible tournaments from the leading professional golf tours, Major Championships and competitions around the world are included in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Any player competing in Eligible Tournaments will receive Ranking Points subject to their respective finishing position.
Ranking Points are derived from each Eligible Tournament’s Field Rating.
The OWGR System is run over rolling Ranking Periods. Ranking Points are maintained at full value for a 13-week period from the relevant Ranking Date on which they were awarded to place additional emphasis on recent performances. Ranking Points are then reduced in equal decrements for the remaining 91 weeks of the relevant Ranking Period.
Each player is then ranked according to their average points during the Relevant Ranking Period, which is determined by dividing a player’s Total Points by the number of Eligible Tournaments they have played during that Ranking Period, subject to the minimum and maximum divisors set out below.
There is a minimum divisor of 40 Eligible Tournaments over the Ranking Period, with no more than the most recent 52 Eligible Tournaments that the player concerned has played in during the relevant Ranking Period counting towards a player’s position in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Is it totally up to date though?
In our view, not at all.
OWGR Analysis
If truth be told, while the OWGR is still an official world ranking system to govern the professional game, it’s hardly a secret anymore that it has become rather outdated given all LIV Golf League events still remain in the dark.
That’s why someone like Jon Rahm, who many consider is the third best player in the world right now, looks on from the 73rd rung of the OWGR ladder.
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Quite frankly, that’s ridiculous.
Even Rahm himself thinks that too.
Rahm believes, like so many now, that the once perfect OWGR system is now flawed.
The former World No.1 think it’s a flawed and inaccurate system.
Rahm even stated the OWGR was “broken before LIV Golf ever existed” in 2022.
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He added that “proves to be wrong” over time.
Rahm feels the two-year rolling system unfairly penalizes players for short slumps, can be gamed by strategic scheduling, and doesn’t accurately reflect current player performance, with strokes gained metrics often being a better indicator.
Jon Rahm
The latest update coming out of LIV Golf is that the breakaway league is in discussions with those on the board at the OWGR to finally be invited to the party, but as of yet nothing has been confirmed.
The better way to truly measure a player’s performance in our view is via Data Golf, which brings LIV Golf players into the picture.
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Data Golf provides fans with player histories as well as suggested adjustments for a golfer’s course history and experience.
It also gives you a deeper dive into all players’ stats along with live updates too.
If truth be told, it’s the new OWGR and most ardent fans realise that now.
At least until OWGR brings LIV to the fore.
Data Golf has Keefer down at 96th in the world, for example, which for us is a much fairer representation of his current status in the game.
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Penge fares a little worse than his OWGR ranking of 55th down at 60th, but nevertheless, still comfortably ahead of Keefer.
Take a look at Data Golf for yourself here
What do you make of Johnny Keefer rising to 51st in the OWGR?
Be honest, had you heard of him?
Should LIV Golf get OWGR points?
Is Data Golf better than OWGR?
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