Hey golf fans! You won’t believe what Cameron Smith, the former Open champion, had to say about golf’s world rankings. According to Smith, these rankings are ‘almost obsolete’ because they refuse to give ranking points for events on the LIV tour. And he’s not the only one who feels this way. Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, and Bryson DeChambeau have also criticized the decision. Smith believes that some of the best golfers in the world are being left out of the top rankings, which is pretty ridiculous if you ask me.
Johnson, who has won major championships, thinks the world ranking system is no longer useful. He argues that excluding 48 talented players from the rankings skews the results. And he’s got a point there. The rankings are used to determine the fields for prestigious tournaments like The Open, US Open, and Masters. But if LIV players can’t earn ranking points, it becomes harder for them to qualify for these big events.
The Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) made it clear that they won’t be granting ranking status to the LIV tour. Their main concern is the limited access for golfers to join the 48-player circuit. They believe that having a tour that operates in a mostly closed fashion is unfair to the thousands of players who are striving to get into OWGR eligible tournaments. It’s a technical decision, not a political one, according to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson.
Reed, who only has his Masters exemption for major eligibility, expressed his disappointment with the current world ranking system. He believes that until the rankings truly reflect the top players in the world, it’s a broken system. And he’s not alone in his frustration. DeChambeau, another top golfer, suggests that the majors should find alternative ways to include LIV’s leading players instead of relying solely on the world rankings.
The LIV tour, funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is in talks with the PGA and DP World Tours to establish a framework agreement. This could potentially shape the future of men’s professional golf. However, for now, it seems that LIV will continue to run its own tour alongside the established circuits.
So, what do you think? Are golf’s world rankings still relevant? Or are they becoming obsolete in the face of new tours like LIV? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!