LIV Golf has accomplished several of the goals it set for itself upon forming two and a half years ago, doling out insane sums of money to secure some of the biggest names in the sport and seeing Brooks Koepka successfully represent the alternative league with a PGA Championship victory. But it is still not recognized by the Official World Golf Rankings, which is something that is flummoxing Bryson DeChambeau.
“They said ‘you need certain requirements,’ we have fulfilled all those requirements, despite what everybody thinks,” he told the LIV Golf podcast, Fairway to Heaven. “If you go look at their handbook, we have fulfilled every single criteria. It’s been over two years now. What’s going on guys?”
The 2020 U.S. Open champion and former No. 4 player in the world earned a top-10 finish at the LIV Golf Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada earlier in February, but it did nothing to improve his low OWGR standing. While many like DeChambeau will argue that the Saudi-backed tour deserves its due because of the wealth of talent it boasts, the board obviously does not consider it to be anywhere close to the PGA’s equal.
Is there a way to properly assess LIV tournaments?
Given the differences in format and field size, it is difficult to apply the same ranking standards to LIV golfers. This was one of the things defectors expected to sacrifice after opting for their big payday. They anticipated that concessions would eventually be made, however. The PGA does not seem to be in a hurry to bring LIV guys back into the fold during the non-major portions of the year, forcing their rivals to affect change with their clubs on the big stage.
“It’s a bit frustrating, but nothing we can do at this moment,” Bryson DeChambeau said. “If we showcase ourselves in the major championships there’s no way they can keep us out. We just got to play well in the majors and once we do, they have no choice.”
The 30-year-old and his colleagues will need to be on point at the 2024 Masters this April, otherwise their situation could just stay the same.
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