Back-and-Forth Between OWGR and LIV Golf Continues as Their Golfers Slip Down World Rankings

Going into this week’s PGA Championship, Dustin Johnson is among the favorites to perform well despite being the 82^nd-ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking.

This is because, in the OWGR’s eyes, Johnson has only played one event this year—the Masters. It does not recognize his win last week at LIV Golf Tulsa over Cameron Smith and Branden Grace in a playoff. Nor does it recognize his steamrolling of the seven-event league last year, where he won LIV’s individual and team championships.

LIV thought it would be able to earn ranking points after partnerships with the Asian Tour and the obscure MENA Tour were forged last fall, but their application is still pending.

Dustin Johnson drops to 82nd in the OWGR following his win at LIV Tulsa.

It’s time for change, the golf world needs an alternative method. pic.twitter.com/sxJS2OeHQH

— LIV Golf Latest (@LIVGolfLatest) May 15, 2023

Seth Waugh, who is the CEO of the PGA of America—which runs this weekend’s PGA Championship and is separate from the PGA Tour—is on the panel that approves OWGR applications. Based on his comments to The Times in London, he doesn’t sound objective to the LIV tour.

Waugh said:

“I don’t think division is good for the game. Hopefully, it’s good for those individuals that have made whatever decisions they have, but the game has moved on. It’s amplified those who have stayed, and the ones who have left have largely disappeared from the landscape — in terms of an exposure perspective.”

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh called for “civility” in golf in a recent interview but is he backing it up?

By @BobHarig: https://t.co/ykJNA5Qxb6 pic.twitter.com/20yB5b5Yzr

— SI Golf (@SI_Golf) May 15, 2023

In discussing the new league’s application for OWGR recognition, Waugh stated that the ball is in LIV’s court:

“They had our latest response weeks ago, and we haven’t heard back. They have made a bad assumption that this will be a quick process. It never has been. Every application has taken a year-plus as far as I’m aware.”

LIV Golf balked at the part of the statement about waiting for their response, telling Sports Illustrated:

“At the end of April, we received a letter from OWGR which asked for us to further clarify some points that we have already addressed, as well as some additional queries they have pertaining to the financials of our business model. We have asked them to clarify why they need that information and they haven’t responded to that email or our queries.

“We have also been categorial that we are willing to make adjustments, but to this point, they have not provided any direction. The last letter we received states they are still in ‘further deliberations’ regarding our application, with no clear path forward.”

Waugh noted that all applications have taken at least a year to resolve. LIV Golf’s application was sent on July 6, 2022, so we are approaching the window where a decision could be rendered, but it doesn’t sound like one is close. Ian Poulter, one of the more outspoken members of the LIV tour, has a theory that the application will be approved once it’s too late to make a difference for most of the members of the new circuit.

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