Bryson DeChambeau’s recent fall to 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) means there are now no members of the LIV Golf league inside the world top 10.
DeChambeau was overtaken by Englishman Tommy Fleetwood earlier this week, after he finished third at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, three shots behind LIV star – and eventual champion – Tyrrell Hatton. The damning ranking stat will not come as a surprise to LIV bosses though.
Their dispute with OWGR has proved to be a thorn in the side of the breakaway league for some time, who have been hosting their 54-hole, no-cut events without ranking points on offer since their inception.
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The Saudi-funded series has applied for ranking accreditation previously but has been rejected by the OWGR board on more than one occasion. The last came a year ago this week after the ranking system outlined the league’s format as a key reason behind their decision to turn down the application.
“We are not at war with them,” OWGR chief Peter Dawson told the Associated Press at the time. “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.”
In response the breakaway league was clearly unhappy with the result, slamming the ranking’s legitimacy in a statement of their own. “OWGR’s sole objective is to rank the best players across the globe. Today’s communication makes clear that it can no longer deliver on that objective,” it read.
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LIV Golf have not acquired OWGR points (
Getty)
“Professional golf is now without a true or global scoring and ranking system. There is no benefit for fans or players from the lack of trust or clarity as long as the best player performances are not recognized. LIV will continue to strive to level set the market so fans, broadcasters, and sponsors have the assurance of an independent and objective ranking system and the pure enjoyment of watching the best golf in the world.”
In the year that has followed, the breakaway league appears to have given up their hunt for ranking recognition, with Greg Norman informing his players of the decision earlier this season. “We have made significant efforts to fight for you and ensure your accomplishments are recognized within the existing ranking system,” he wrote in March.
“Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us.” One of Norman’s star players in Garcia recently discussed the topic, and he believes there is no longer any point in LIV chasing an OWGR deal with the damage already done. “To be totally honest, I don’t think world ranking points are worth it anymore for us,” Garcia told GolfMagic.
“Even if we got world ranking points now with the rankings we have like myself down in 390th, it just wouldn’t really help the majority of us. We were looking at it and for someone to be able to stay in the top 50 in the world, you would probably have to win like 10 of the 14 tournaments on LIV Golf.”
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