'What’s going on, guys?': Bryson DeChambeau bashes golf rankings group
LIV Golf is fighting to no avail for its players to earn Official World Golf Ranking points. World-class players such as Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson are falling further down the points list with each passing week, which could affect their ability to qualify for major championships.
Bryson DeChambeau is another player who has a major beef with the OWGR. The 30-year-old was ranked as high as No. 5 in the world in 2022, but he's fallen to No. 169 since joining LIV Golf. With no solution on the horizon, DeChambeau recently called out the OWGR for refusing to grant points to LIV tournaments.
"I have words that I'd love to say but I can't about it," DeChambeau said on a recent episode of the "Fairway to Heaven" podcast. "They said ‘You need certain requirements.' We have fulfilled all those requirements, despite what everybody thinks. 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?
"It’s a bit frustrating, but nothing we can do at this moment. 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."
Does DeChambeau have a point? Well, yes and no.
In October, the OWGR denied LIV Golf's formal request for points after a year-long deliberation. The board committee was willing to work around LIV's unique format of 54 holes, no cuts and 48-player fields, but it couldn't overlook how the Saudi-backed tour didn't relegate and promote players based on performance.
"With contracts and team captains, there are many ways to stay on the LIV tour even if you are not playing well," OWGR president Peter Dawson told Global Golf Post. "If LIV could find a way to come up with a more open competition style and relegation, we would certainly consider that."
Essentially, the OWGR didn't like how a player could shoot 20 over par in every LIV tournament and still return to the tour the following season. On the PGA Tour, dozens of players who don't qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs aren't able to renew their cards.
Now, here's where it gets complicated.
After its request was denied, LIV Golf relegated four players ahead of the 2024 season to satisfy the OWGR. It also increased the field size from 48 to 54. Still, the OWGR refuses to budge.
You could argue these players knew what they were signing up for when they jumped ship from the PGA Tour to join a new golf league. At the same time, the OWGR will be justified in its decision to shut out LIV Golf when it can name 168 players who are better than DeChambeau.
Good luck with that.
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