Greg Norman Calls OWGR ‘Laughable’ as LIV Golf Stars Tumble Down the List

When the Official World Golf Ranking denied LIV Golf’s application for points last fall, it was clear that players on that circuit would be taking a tumble in the rankings.

While some golfers have taken it upon themselves to try and earn points and qualify for majors – like Joaquin Niemann and Dean Burmester did last December – others are seeing their spot in the OWGR plummet as the weeks go by.

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman posted the current OWGR with other unofficial golf rankings and called the official list “laughable.”

Laughable. LIV would have 2 players in the top 50 OWGR if you exclude recent signees! pic.twitter.com/9EeJOxaMRN

— Greg Norman (@SharkGregNorman) February 19, 2024

In other rankings that the Shark cites, there are between eight and 10 LIV members in the to 50, but only five are in the OWGR’s top 50. Three of them (Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, and Adrian Meronk) just joined LIV in 2024. Brooks Koepka sits at No. 29 by virtue of his PGA Championship victory and runner-up at the Masters. Cameron Smith is 44^th based on playing all four majors last year and several events on the Australian PGA Tour.

Dustin Johnson, at one time the world’s No. 1 player and a multi-time winner on LIV, ranks No. 231 in the OWGR. Defending LIV series champion Talor Gooch is No. 427.

The OWGR is significant because the top 50 automatically qualify for the majors, based on each tournament’s qualification procedures.

While the offseason signings of Rahm, Hatton, and Meronk show that LIV is prepared to make a go of it on their own, the ongoing talks among the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, the DP World Tour, and PGA Tour could allow LIV golfers to earn OWGR points if a deal is reached.

Otherwise, the OWGR may be a flawed system based on today’s pro golf landscape, but it still remains a powerful one that the LIV pros will have to contend with.

Cover Image via SportsPro Media