LIV Golf players will be able to earn world ranking points for the first time, starting with this week’s season-opener in Riyadh on Wednesday, but league officials were not entirely happy with the decision.
In a statement released early on Wednesday, the Official Golf World Ranking body said players finishing in the top 10 of the individual competition would be eligible as it looked to “reflect the changing landscape of the men’s professional game”.
However, while welcoming the “long‑overdue moment of recognition”, LIV criticised the “unprecedented” move to limit the number of its players who would receive points.
The failure to award LIV world ranking points for its events has been a bone of contention since the tour launched in 2022, and elite players who joined the league saw their rankings, and ability to qualify for the four majors, take a hit as a result.
In a move to try and make the tour more palatable, LIV has switched from 54 holes to the traditional four-round format from this season, and has increased the number of players who can be relegated to around 20 per cent of the 57-man field.
Trevor Immelman is chairman of the Official World Golf Ranking board. Photo: AP
Trevor Immelman, the OWGR chairman, said determining a system for awarding ranking points had been “an incredibly complex and challenging process”.