LIV Golf hits out despite being awarded world ranking points by OWGR amid ‘changing landscape’
LIV Golf has hit out at what it calls an “unprecedented” ruling that will see only the top 10 finishers at its events awarded world ranking points.
The Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) board revealed on Tuesday its decision to award LIV players points for the first time.
However, while the Saudi Arabia-funded circuit, which starts its fifth season in Riyadh this week, has called the news a “long-overdue moment of recognition”, it is unhappy at the limits put on the rankings points for its 57-man fields.
In all 24 other men’s professional golf tours that are part of the OWGR, all players who make the cut earn points.
In a statement, LIV said “this outcome is unprecedented”, adding “no other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction”.
“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.”
In its statement, the OWGR board said it was awarding points to LIV “in an effort to reflect the changing landscape of the men’s professional game”.
However, it added that the points were being restricted to the top 10 finishers because it “recognises there are a number of areas where LIV Golf does not meet the eligibility standards set out by OWGR”.
The size of a LIV field, at 57, is well below the 75 set out in OWGR ranking criteria, while the lack of a cut was also a contributing factor.
LIV is evolving though, with each of its 14 events in 2026 being played over 72 holes, up from 54 in previous years.
“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,” added LIV in its statement.
“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.”