LIV Golf reapplies for world ranking points, eyes approval before 2026 majors
Official World Golf Ranking says it has started the process of determining if the league could be included in system
LIV Golf has reapplied to be included in the Official World Golf Ranking and hopes to have approval ahead of the “2026 major season”, the league said in a statement on Friday.
Responding to the OWGR’s announcement that it had started the review process to determine if the 54-player circuit would be included, Scott O’Neil, the LIV CEO, said he was confident the new application addressed the “outstanding questions” that scuppered the first attempt.
Among those had been accusations that LIV was a closed shop, given that in its early phase there was no framework for promotion and relegation of players. The potential to rise to LIV through the Asian Tour’s International Series has solved that issue, as has the end-of-season promotions season promotions event.
Targeting next year also allows the OWGR to take its lead from the majors, who have already created additional pathways for LIV players to qualify. One of the criticisms of the previous denial was that it potentially stopped the best players from competing against each other in the biggest tournaments.
In its statement on Friday, the OWGR said it was committed to a “thorough evaluation process of all applications”, adding that LIV’s application would be dealt with based on specific criteria to “ensure fairness, integrity and consistency”.
The OWGR board has an annual meeting next week at the Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl, where the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia are in a field that includes 19 LIV golfers.