LIV Golf has finally increased its status on the world level after the final decision of the Official World Golf Rankings. To get this decision, before the start of this season, the circuit made numerous adjustments to its format and field, and they all paid off in the end. This choice was also rather contentious because OWGR only awards points to the top ten finishers in LIV tournaments, but it is still a big start for them, as their CEO recently talked about.
In an interview with Golf Digest, LIV CEO Scott O’ Neil discussed the OWGR decision and how pleased he is with it. He said that he has now joined forces with other prominent golf figures, such as the PGA Tour commissioner, Brian Rolapp, and the European Tour CEO. He added that LIV Golf is reaching new heights and that in the future, they would build a better community and circuit. Neil explained:
“Yeah, we’re so grateful to be welcomed into the golf family officially. It’s very nice, especially [because] the commissioner of the PGA Tour is on the board and [so is] the CEO of the European Tour….What a tremendous nod to what LIV Golf has built, is building, and where it’s heading in the future. For us, though, World Ranking points were a nice recognition and a great step forward, and our focus is on making sure that as many of these young, talented players.”
The OWGR even awarded its first points to LIV players following the LIV Golf Riyadh, and many players managed to get significant improvements in their rankings.
How much OWGR improvement did LIV golfers experience after joining LIV Golf Riyadh?
LIV Golf Riyadh was the circuit’s season opening, and the 23-year-old golfer, Elvis Smylie, emerged victorious after a pretty competitive tournament. With this, he became one of the first LIV golfers to receive OWGR points, and he moved up from 134th to 77th in the rankings. In terms of other golfers and the points they received, here’s a complete breakdown of the changes in rank they received following the tournament:
- 1. Elvis Smylie: 134 to 77
- 2. Jon Rahm: 93 to 67
- 3. Peter Uihlein: 199 to 154
- T4. Abraham Ancer: 616 to 449
- T4. Thomas Pieters: 564 to 419
- T4. David Puig: 95 to 87
- 7. Thomas Detry: 62 to 63
- 8. Sebastian Munoz: 767 to 566
- T9. Lucas Herbert: 257 to 223
- T9. Branden Grace: 463 to 401
- T9. Ben An: 111 to 107
Fans will now be looking ahead to LIV Golf Adelaide, the circuit’s second tournament, which takes place this week at the Grange East Course. The first round of the event came to an end on February 12, and after it, Bryson DeChambeau and Marc Leishman are tied for the lead with a total score of 6 under par.
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