Bryson DeChambeau has dropped to 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking, meaning there are now no members of the LIV Golf league inside the world top 10
Bryson DeChambeau’s slip to 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has left the LIV Golf league without any players in the top 10.
The American golfer was surpassed by England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who clinched third place at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, just behind LIV’s own champion Tyrrell Hatton.
This ranking blow is unlikely to shock LIV chiefs, as their ongoing feud with the OWGR over ranking points has been a persistent issue. Despite the Saudi-backed circuit seeking official recognition, they’ve faced multiple rejections from the OWGR board, with the latest refusal coming exactly a year ago this week.
The board cited the league’s format as a major factor for the denial. “We are not at war with them,” said OWGR head Peter Dawson to the Associated Press.
“This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical. LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.”
The breakaway league expressed their dissatisfaction with the recent developments, criticising the credibility of the rankings in a strongly worded statement. “OWGR’s sole objective is to rank the best players across the globe. Today’s communication makes clear that it can no longer deliver on that objective,” they declared.
The statement continued: “Professional golf is now without a true or global scoring and ranking system. There is no benefit for fans or players from the lack of trust or clarity as long as the best player performances are not recognized. LIV will continue to strive to level set the market so fans, broadcasters, and sponsors have the assurance of an independent and objective ranking system and the pure enjoyment of watching the best golf in the world.”
After a year of efforts, the breakaway league seems to have abandoned their quest for ranking recognition, with Greg Norman earlier this season informing his players, “We have made significant efforts to fight for you and ensure your accomplishments are recognized within the existing ranking system,” he penned in March. “Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us.”
One of Norman’s top players, Sergio Garcia, recently spoke about the issue, indicating resignation, “To be totally honest, I don’t think world ranking points are worth it anymore for us,” Garcia admitted to GolfMagic.
“Even if we got world ranking points now with the rankings we have like myself down in 390th, it just wouldn’t really help the majority of us. We were looking at it and for someone to be able to stay in the top 50 in the world, you would probably have to win like 10 of the 14 tournaments on LIV Golf.”
