Jon Rahm takes shot at Official World Golf Ranking

Jon Rahm didn’t know LIV Golf was still trying to earn Official World Golf Ranking points before the league withdrew its application on Tuesday, but that didn’t stop the Spaniard from again calling out the ranking system.

In fact, the two-time major champion doubled down on his previous criticism of the OWGR ahead of this week’s LIV event in Hong Kong.

“I didn’t think it was a good system back then, and if anything, the more time that goes on, the more it proves to be wrong,” said Rahm. “If anybody in this world, for example, doesn’t think (Joaquin Niemann) deserves to be in the top 10 or doesn’t know that he’s a top player in the world, I don’t know what game you’re watching. We can tell. I think anybody who watches golf can tell who the best players in the world are, and obviously I don’t think the ranking is reflective of that right now to its entirety.”

LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman informed players of the decision to withdraw the points application via letter on Tuesday. The original application was sent in July 2022 and the OWGR initially denied points last October.

When it denied LIV points, the OWGR claimed the league – which features a mostly closed field of 54 players playing 54-hole, shotgun start, no-cut events – wasn’t able to be compared to the other 24 tours under its world ranking wing. Also stated to be of concern were the qualifying and relegation methods employed by LIV Golf.

No Presidents Cup: Brooks Koepka was able to tee it up for the U.S. Ryder Cup team last fall in Italy due to a technicality

PGA Tour

Puerto Rico Open

Course: Grand Reserve in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Yardage: 7,506. Par: 72.

Prize money: $4 million. Winner’s share: $720,000.

TV: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday (ET)-Sunday (EDT), 2:30-5 p.m. (Golf Channel).

This is the first of five opposite-field events on the PGA Tour that offer 60% of the FedExCup points as a regular tournament. The winner gets into The Players Championship and the PGA Championship but not the Masters or the remaining signature events on the PGA Tour. … Rasmus Hojgaard, the twin brother of Nicolai Hojgaard, is playing on a sponsor exemption. … The field includes Kevin Kisner, Zach Johnson, Camilo Villegas and Brandt Snedeker. … The Puerto Rico Open marks a rare appearance by 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy. … This is the first of four tournaments that determine which five players are eligible for the RBC Heritage, a $20 million event.

LIV Golf League

LIV Golf Hong Kong

Course: Hong Kong GC. Yardage: 6,710. Par: 70.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

TV: Thursday-Saturday, 11 p.m.

in the PGA of America’s rules for the competition, which allowed LIV Golf players to compete. The same won’t be possible for this year’s Presidents Cup.

Speaking with the media on a conference 4 a.m. ET (CW app); Saturday, 12:305:30 p.m. ET (CW Network, delay); Sunday, 1-6 p.m. EDT (CW Network, delay).

Joaquin Niemann has won three times in the past three months, twice on LIV Golf (including the Jeddah last weekend) and the Australian Open. … Anthony Kim makes his second start in a row. He finished 33 shots behind Nieman in Saudi Arabia. … LIV currently has 13 players who will be at Augusta National for the Masters, the first major of the year.

PGA Tour Champions

Cologuard Classic

Course: La Paloma CC in Tucson, Arizona. Yardage: 6,856. Par: 71.

Prize money: $2.2 million. Winner’s share: $330,000.

TV: Friday, 7-9 p.m. ET (Golf Channel, delay); Saturday, 5-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Sunday, 5-8 p.m. EDT (Golf Channel).

The field includes Steve Stricker, who will be at the TPC Sawgrass next week for The Players Championship. He earned a spot by winning the Senior Players Championship last year. … The alternate list includes major champions John Daly and Larry Mize. … David Duval is in the field. He won in Tucson on the PGA Tour in 1998. … Also in the field are Fred Couples, Ernie Els and Charles Schwab Cup leader Steven Alker.

– Associated Press

call Tuesday afternoon, International captain Mike Weir said LIV players would not be eligible for the 2024 event at Royal Montreal Golf Club from Sept. 27-29. The biennial bash between the United States and rest of the world (minus Europe) is organized by the PGA Tour, and competitors must be active members to compete.

“Certainly I want the best players internationally to be playing (the Presidents Cup). Hopefully we come to a point that they are,” said Weir. “It’s just an unfortunate situation that we’re in right now.”

Niemann receives special PGA invite: LIV Golf ’s Joaquin Niemann has teed it up acround the world over the past year in an attempt to earn enough Official World Golf Ranking points to qualify for the 2024 major championships.

He earned a spot in the British Open Championship via the Open Qualifying Series thanks to his win at the ISPS Handa Australian Open in December. Two weeks ago he received a special invitation to the Masters, and now the PGA of America has followed suit.

Golfweek has confirmed that the 25-year-old has received a special invitation to the PGA Championship from May 16-19, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Niemann broke the news in a Monday interview with GolfWRX and also confirmed that he would try to qualify for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, June 1316.

That said, he might not need to qualify. The Chilean has been one of, if not the hottest players in the world over the last five months and could earn enough OWGR points with high finishes in the Masters and PGA Championship. He could also pick up points in Asian Tour events around the LIV Golf schedule.

The USGA invites players inside the top 60 in the OWGR as of the tournament date and also two weeks before. Niemann is currently No. 76 in the OWGR.