Over a year after LIV Golf abandoned plans to secure world ranking points, the big-money circuit is reportedly back in advanced discussions over the possibility of securing eligibility.
Per Sportico, the return to the negotiating table with the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has been inspired by changes at the top of both organisations in recent months.
In January, the former chief of Merlin Entertainments, Scott O'Neil, replaced Greg Norman as LIV Golf CEO, while the OWGR turned to 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman as Peter Dawson’s replacement as chairman earlier this month. According to Sportico, Immelman’s appointment has revived the talks, while it reports he and O’Neill were spotted in conversation at Augusta National during The Masters.
The importance of world ranking points has been accentuated as time has progressed since LIV Golf’s inception in 2022, with many players finding it increasingly difficult to qualify for the four Majors. That was particularly apparent at The Masters, when just 12 LIV Golfers started the tournament, down from 18 two years earlier.
That problem was partially addressed for two of the Majors in February, first when the USGA announced a groundbreaking US Open exemption “to the top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top 3 of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 19, 2025.” The R&A then followed suit later in the month with a similar route to The Open.
However, there has been no suggestion of similar approaches being taken by the PGA of America for the PGA Championship or Augusta National for The Masters. In fact, ahead of the latter tournament, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley suggested that its approach would be to continue offering special invites, as it did with Joaquin Niemann for this year’s edition.
Issues over LIV Golf’s eligibility for the points include its unique format, which involves no-cut events played over 54 holes, and limited fields. LIV Golf’s initial bid for world ranking points was rejected in October 2023, with limited relegation for underperforming players and its emphasis on team competition also points of concern.
At the time, Dawson explained to Global Golf Post the primary barrier to LIV Golf acquiring the points, saying: “The main one is qualification and relegation criteria that apply. With contracts and team captains, there are many ways to stay on the LIV tour even if you are not playing well.
“If LIV could find a way to come up with a more open competition style and relegation, we would certainly consider that.”
Even with that rejection, Dawson hinted the organisation was open to reconsidering its approach in the future, adding: “We are not here to say that OWGR criteria are the only way to play. We have to change and be flexible and do what’s best.
“It’s very unfortunate. We are now ranking players who play on tours that conform to OWGR criteria. That means some players aren’t being ranked playing LIV events. That’s diminishing the rankings. No doubt about that. We need to get it fixed.”
