LIV Golf's seven-month Official World Golf Ranking application has resulted in an official sanctioning by the rankings board, but the league is not happy with the result.
The OWGR confirmed the top-10 finishers in LIV Golf tournaments will be awarded points while admitting the league did not meet a number of aspects in its criteria - areas including field size, no-cut events and pathways.
It means LIV events are classed as 'Small Field Tournaments' and could lead to some of the league's weaker players potentially going the entire season without earning a single point.
The league is clearly relieved to have got the application over the line but is unhappy with the decision to only award points to the top-10, which is around 17.5% of the field compared to 53% on the PGA Tour this week and 45% on the DP World Tour.
In a statement from LIV Golf, the league said the decision "disproportionately harms" its players who finish close to the top-10 as the 11th-placed finisher will go on to earn the same as the last-place finisher - zero.
"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," LIV Golf said.
"No other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction," it continued.
The OWGR did say it acknowledges that LIV is making further changes ahead of 2027 and ensured it would continue to evaluate the league in regards to its criteria, which could result in the points allocations being changed.
It also warned LIV could be removed from the system altogether.
Do you think LIV's OWGR decision is fair or should point be awarded to more than just the top-10? Let us know in the comments section.
LIV Golf statement after securing OWGR points:
"The stated mission of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is to “administer and publish a transparent, credible, and accurate ranking based on the relative performances of players participating in male Eligible Golf Tours worldwide.”
"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."
