LIV Golf 2026 season-opener in Riyadh ended on Sunday with the top-10 finishers getting Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. Champion Elvis Smylie jumped 57 places from 134th to 77 after the win at Riyadh Golf Club. Following this, LIV veteran Sergio Garcia has come out to note his displeasure with the ranking system.
Garcia, speaking ahead of LIV Golf Adelaide, dubbed the latest move allowing world ranking points to LIV events “a step forward.” However, the Spanish Ryder Cupper added that it “doesn’t feel like it’s totally fair.” The 2017 Masters winner, who settled for T30 on Sunday, reiterated that players finishing 11th or worst get zero points. He opined the partial points system ‘can hurt players a lot’ in the future as it adds to the existing disparity in the rankings.
The 46-year-old said it ‘would be nice’ if the ranking points was “expanded a little bit farther.”
Sergio Garcia said from Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, as quoted by ASAP Sports:
“It (LIV Golf’s world ranking recognition) is definitely a step forward. Is it fair? I mean, I guess time will tell us. It doesn’t feel like it’s totally fair. With time, obviously. Now the first few weeks obviously when one of us is winning, that guy is going to make a jump in the rankings, which is great, but then every time you finish 11th or worst you’re getting a zero and you’re getting an extra event on your divisor…
So that in the near, a little farther future, it can hurt a lot. But like I said, it’s a step forward, so it is positive. I think that at the end of the day, it’s going to help some of these kids performing well to move up the rankings. Hopefully they play really well. But unfortunately only 10 guys can finish in the top 10. Well, unless there’s a couple of ties. It would be nice if it was expanded a little bit farther as we probably think it should. But hopefully it’ll come soon.”
LIV Golf camp divided by new format change
Furthermore, Garcia also shared his mixed take on LIV Golf league’s decision to ditch the 54 hole format to faclitate the traditional 72 hole format. For the unversed, the breakaway tour changed the existing format to gain OWGR recongition and last week’s Riyadh outing was the series’ first-ever four-day event. Much like several of his co-stars, Garcia wasn’t too keen about the switch.
1x LIV Golf Winner Says 54 Holes Was ‘Good Enough’ To Figure Out the Best Golfers
The 11-time PGA Tour winner came forth to state that the format change adds an extra day to the playing schedule making it a “tiny bit longer.” However, the European Ryder Cup icon added that the change makes it “a little bit tougher” for players “traveling so much overseas” for events. However, he further stated that golfers are used to maintaining hectic schedules.
Garcia’s mixed take on the format change come as LIV Golfers continue to be divided by it. Notably, LIV posterboy and valued asset Bryson DeChambeau slammed the move. The two-time US Ope champion openly registered his displeasure with the switch and stated that he ‘didn’t sign up to play four-day events.’ Players like Paul Casey and Louis Oosthuizen backed the Crushers GC skipper’s take.
Meanwhile, players like Jon Rahm and Lee Westwood welcomed the change. Rahm dubbed it a positive move that could help strenghten the Saudi-backed series players as all major championships follow the 72-hole format.
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