RANKING SYSTEM ‘BROKEN’ Shark gives up on LIV goal
Senior PGA tour players have conceded the official world ranking system is “broken” after LIV boss Greg Norman officially abandoned his pursuit for points to be awarded to players on his breakaway tour.
Entry to major championships for LIV golfers including new convert Lucas Herbert will rest solely on special invitations and exemptions after Norman’s move.
Having been denied an official request for his 54-hole, nocut tournaments to be included, Norman (inset), the LIV chief executive and commissioner, said continued dialogue had failed to move the Official World Golf Rankings body and the way forward was “not through the current ranking system”.
Among the rankings casualties are Aussie Cameron Smith who has slipped to No.50 in the world and last week declared that he “didn’t feel like the 44th best player in the world” but has resigned himself to a continued tumble down the list like so many of his LIV colleagues.
The Queenslander remains eligible for all four majors until 2027 courtesy of his British Open win in 2022, before he made the move to LIV, and he plays with seven Masters champions who have a lifetime exemption to play at Augusta.
Reigning Australian Open champion, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, also received a special invitation to both the Masters and US PGA this year in recognition of his recent success, which has included two LIV wins.
But the battle for the likes of Herbert, who joined LIV this year, and fellow Aussies Marc Leishman and Matt Jones to make the majors will be consigned to qualifying for the British Open and US Open after Norman opted to end his fight for the Saudi-backed league.
“It’s now clear that the best way forward for LIV as a league and you as
LIV golfers is not through the current ranking system,” Norman said in a letter to his players.
“A resolution which protects the accuracy, credibility and integrity of the OWGR rankings no longer exists.”
Patrick Cantlay, who sits on the PGA Tour policy board, conceded the rankings system had not adjusted to ongoing changes in the golf landscape.
“I think that there’s been so much uncertainty and change in the last couple years that it’s inevitable that things need to be updated or things need to be changed,” he said ahead of this week’s Bay Hill Invitational.
“I don’t know if we’ve worked through all the changes necessary compared to all the changes that have happened in the last couple years.”
Only four LIV golfers are in this week’s world rankings top 50. Norman said LIV players had been snubbed for so long that it would be difficult for them to be properly rated even if OWGR began assigning points now for LIV events.