LIV Golf renews pursuit of world ranking points. Up-and-down journey continues

The plight of LIV golfers and their Official World Golf Ranking has new life this week as the tour has submitted a new application to earn world ranking points at its events. 

OWGR chairman Trevor Immelmann shared an official statement Friday, acknowledging that LIV submitted its most recent application on June 30 and that the board has commenced a review of it. It is far from the first chapter in the saga, though all previous iterations have ended in refusal. 

“We appreciate the interest of LIV Golf — and all Tours — in contributing to the global landscape of men’s professional golf through OWGR,” Immelman’s statement read. “Further updates will be provided as the review progresses.”

And for now, that was that, a fittingly vague update on a journey that has been riddled with vagueness. The OWGR has often noted that it has largely taken around 18 months for applying leagues to lead to points being offered for tournaments. Why? Because the OWGR needs a sample size of tournaments to assess how the league meets various criteria. 

The OWGR does not publicly acknowledge the criteria needed for a successful application, but according to one past LIV executive, it is things like 1) the number of events per season, 2) getting an endorsement from another tour, 3) having a minimum purse size — all of which LIV accomplishes. Other criteria, though, like the overall size of field needing to be, on average, 75 or higher, LIV has failed. Is 54 holes, at every single tournament, a sufficient amount, particularly when most pro tournaments globally are played over 72 holes?

Additionally, how do players work their way onto the LIV tour? Was there an open qualifying tournament or just players signing annual contracts regardless of their performance? The OWGR wanted answers to these questions. It takes time. 

The Timeline

LIV first applied for world ranking points when it launched, in the summer of 2022, working off the assumption it would be granted without issue. Players who had contractually committed their future schedules to LIV had been told by executives that they would be receiving points, but it never came to fruition. Every week that passed — the OWGR ranks players based on the most recent two years of performances — meant LIV players dropped further and further down the ranks. 

The travails continued into the fall of ’22 when LIV golfers signed an official letter urging officials to expedite their acceptance. Two weeks later, in a rush, LIV then announced a “strategic partnership” with the MENA Tour — based in the Middle East — on the belief that it would suddenly grant them points, since the MENA Tour had established that via the OWGR. But the ranking board stepped in and clarified it had not finished its review and no points would be added so quickly. 

It wasn’t until a full year later, in October 2023, that the OWGR came to an official ruling: LIV would not receive points.

“It is entirely technical,” board chairman Peter Dawson said at the time. “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.”

Things were very different then. The Framework Agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF (LIV’s uber-wealthy parent company) had just been signed. Reunification seemed to be on the horizon. Greg Norman was at the helm of the league, at least publicly. But as time passed without advancements toward a deal, or even just points, LIV Golf soured on the slog of it. In March 2024, Norman made public that the league had mostly given up its pursuit and two months later withdrew its application. 

But of course, nothing in pro golf stays the same for long these days. Norman was replaced as LIV head by Scott O’Neill in January, and in May there were reports of serious conversations between LIV and the OWGR again. Immelman, now officially in his chairman role, told the Associated Press that LIV had not reapplied but that the “ball is in their court.”

When reached for comment, LIV released this statement:

“We thank OWGR Chairman Trevor Immelman for his continued leadership and willingness to move the sport of golf forward for the benefit of all players and most importantly, the fans. LIV Golf is committed to working together with the Official World Golf Ranking and its board to ensure the very best players are competing in the game’s most prestigious events. We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system. We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 major season.”

The Future 

Pro golf is as bifurcated as it’s ever been, which would imply an element of straightforwardness. Everyone largely knows where everyone will be playing and where they won’t be. But the future remains murky. LIV’s continued acceptance in the pro golf world creeps along, but at a glacial pace. Negotiations between the Saudi PIF and the PGA Tour have stalled entirely. Bryson DeChambeau will enter contract negotiations with the league later this fall. The same is likely for Brooks Koepka. 

What will have to be moved around or altered for LIV to cross the threshold and be fully accepted by the OWGR? Golf fans will have to stay patient.