Bryson DeChambeau’s fall to No.11 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) means there are no LIV Golf players in the top 10 – but fellow defector Lucas Herbert has insisted that the Saudi breakaway league is “perfect” for players.
The American has experienced a year to remember, having won the second major of his career so far with the U.S. Open back in June. The man known to fans as “The Scientist” also finished as runner-up to Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship the previous month.
However, his strong showings have not been enough to see DeChambeau retain his place among the 10 best players on the planet. With LIV events not earning stars ranking points, the 31-year-old has tumbled down the leaderboard, with his performances in the majors not enough to usurp regular players on the PGA Tour.
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However, it’s not all doom and gloom for LIV players, with rebel Herbert among those who have spoken positively about the set-up. Speaking about his experience since joining LIV, he told News.com.au: “I played so much more in 2023, but it’s just a perfect schedule now.
“You get your time to get away from the game and get your development blocks to be able to get better, not just from a perspective of hitting balls for three or four days and then go to an event, you can actually really work on your game and elevate your skill set rather than just tune it up.”
Boasting the ability to work on his game during points of the year, Herbert was in no doubt that he has improved as a player since joining the PIF-backed tour. He said: “So just the knowledge I’ve been able to zap from my teammates at various stages throughout the year has been awesome, and my game has massively benefited from that.”
LIV Golf star Lucas Herbert has spoken positively of his experience of defecting to the Saudi Arabian league (
David Cannon/Getty Images)
“I’ve loved the fact that it feels like a real family out there with LIV obviously,” the Australian continued. “If you think of PGA Tour events, 156 players, 156 different caddies, 156 different families, whether it be girlfriends, parents, kids, everything, and then that changes week to week.
He added: “Players go home, others come out, and you just don’t get the ability to get to know guys as well as you know out here on LIV, it’s like it’s the same 54 guys every week.”
Speaking previously on the decision to not hand LIV players ranking points for their performances in the league, OWGR chief Peter Dawson said to the Associated Press “We are not at war with them. “This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical.
“LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.”
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