Jon Rahm frustrated at OWGR's LIV decision: 'I don’t like how we’re not being treated the same as every other tour'
Francois Nel
LIV Golf's Jon Rahm expressed frustration Wednesday with the board of the Official World Golf Ranking, believing his league is still not getting its due when it comes to accreditation.
On Tuesday the OWGR announced that, beginning this week, the Saudi-backed circuit is eligible for World Ranking points, a goal it's been pursuing since its inception in 2022. LIV events will be ranked based on OWGR’s standard classification of "Small Field Tournaments" with a "Ranking points distribution cutoff" applied to award points only to players who finish in the top 10 (and ties). The winner will receive the projected equivalent of an alternate-event champion on the PGA Tour and more than some DP World Tour events. The accreditation came despite, as the OWGR pointed out in a statement, LIV falling short of several standards, specifically the "self-selection of players, many of whom being recruited rather than earning their place on the tour, and, in recent days, the addition/removal of players to/from teams based on their nationality rather than for meritocratic reasons."
However, LIV Golf officials felt the league deserved more points. While officials acknowledged the “moment of recognition” they likewise sounded off on the decision. “This outcome is unprecedented. Under these rules, a player finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th. Limiting points to only the top 10 finishers disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold, as well as emerging talent working to establish themselves on the world stage—precisely the players a fair and meritocratic ranking system is designed to recognize. No other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction. We expect this is merely a first step toward a structure that fully and fairly serves the players, the fans, and the future of the sport."
Following the first round at LIV’s season-opening event in Riyadh, Rahm joined the criticism.
“Yeah, it’s fantastic that we’re getting points,” Rahm said on LIV’s broadcast. “It’s fantastic that we’re being recognized in a way. With that said, I don’t like how we’re not being treated the same as every other tour. It seems like the rules that have been in place aren’t really applied to us, with only 10 of us getting points, it doesn’t seem fair. There are small fields out there throughout the course of the year that get full points, or full players get points, right? So, there’s work to be done.”
When Rahm finished the 2023 PGA Tour season—his last before defecting to LIV—he ranked No. 3 in the OWGR. This week, he enters at No. 97, a byproduct of LIV’s non-OWGR accreditation and his struggles in majors over the past two years. Rahm was one of the more vocal voices at LIV to move to 72 holes in pursuit of OWGR points, a change that other LIV players have not welcomed.
“While it’s good for some people, it could cost some players to actually lose World Ranking points, instead of gain them,” Rahm later added, “because finishing in 11th is basically a missed cut, and we’re already adding to the divisor. But I’m thankful that LIV Golf got their foot in the door, and there’s a possibility for us to walk in the room and be recognized as a tour, as we should be.”
Despite not winning on LIV last year, Rahm finished atop the league’s individual point standings and won the “clutch” player of the year award. He is T-4 after Thursday’s opening round, two shots behind Thomas Detry and Peter Uihlein.