LIV Golf has criticised what it called an “unprecedented” decision by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to award ranking points only to the top 10 finishers and ties at its 2026 events.
The unanimous OWGR board ruling, announced on Tuesday, awards world ranking points to LIV Golf for the first time since the series launched in 2022, but with conditions. The board placed LIV events in the OWGR category of “Small Field Tournaments” after finding a number of areas where the series did not meet the organisation’s eligibility standards.
LIV said it welcomed the recognition that “performance on the course should matter,” but argued the restriction was unfair. “Under these rules, a player finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th,” the tour said, adding that limiting points to only the top 10 “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.” LIV also said no other competitive tour in OWGR history had been subjected to such a restriction and expressed hope this would be a first step toward a fairer system.
OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman, a former Masters champion, said the process had been “incredibly complex and challenging” and that the board had spent seven months reviewing LIV’s application. He said the OWGR had to balance the need to rank the top men’s players globally with fairness to thousands of players on other tours that operate established meritocratic pathways. “We believe we have found a solution that achieves these twin aims and enables the best-performing players at LIV Golf events to receive OWGR points,” Immelman said.
OWGR cited several factors in its decision: the average LIV field size being significantly below the minimum of 75 players set out in ranking criteria, the absence of a cut at LIV events, and limited or non-meritocratic pathways onto the tour. The change is effective immediately as the LIV season begins in Saudi Arabia, and OWGR said it will continue to evaluate LIV’s eligibility as the series evolves.
Currently, only two LIV players are inside the world top 50 — England’s Tyrrell Hatton at No 22 and Bryson DeChambeau at No 33 — with five others among the top 100, including Jon Rahm at No 97.
The decision ends a debate dating back to LIV’s 2022 launch. OWGR previously rejected LIV’s first application in October 2023, when former chairman Peter Dawson said the board could not fairly measure LIV against other tours. Immelman, who became OWGR chairman last year, had been in regular contact with LIV CEO Scott O’Neil during the review.
LIV has also adjusted its event format from 54 holes to 72 holes for 2026; OWGR said that was not a major obstacle since other small tours also stage 54-hole events. Instead, concerns focused on turnover and player selection under contract. The board nevertheless made LIV Golf the 25th circuit included in the OWGR.
The PGA Tour said it “respected” the OWGR decision and the time Immelman had committed to the process. LIV concluded by saying it entered the process “in good faith” and would continue to advocate for “a ranking system that reflects performance over affiliation,” calling for transparency, credibility for fans, and equal treatment for players.