The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) board announced on Tuesday that it will award ranking points to LIV Golf players for the first time. However, in a ruling labelled “unprecedented” by LIV Golf, those points will be restricted to only the top 10 finishers in each event, a limitation that has frustrated many across the circuit.

The decision undoubtedly provides a significant boost for stakeholders invested in the LIV tour, acting as a long awaited step toward broader recognition of the league’s legitimacy and its ongoing efforts to align with OWGR criteria. The newly granted points will assist several of LIV Golf’s leading figures in their qualification pushes for the major championships, yet many believe the ruling remains overly punitive toward the wider playing field.

LIV Golf opens its fifth season in Riyadh this week and responded by acknowledging the development as a “long overdue moment of recognition.” However, the tour also emphasised that restricting points to the top finishers “disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold, as well as emerging talent working to establish themselves on the world stage.”

Why LIV Golf Is Being Treated Differently by OWGR

Across the other 24 men’s professional tours currently recognised by OWGR, all players who make the cut receive ranking points. LIV Golf would therefore become the lone exception, prompting the tour to brand the decision “unprecedented” and to highlight that “no other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction.”

This stance appears at odds with OWGR’s own stated mission, to “administer and publish a transparent, credible, and accurate ranking based on the relative performances of players participating in male Eligible Golf Tours worldwide.” Under the proposed system, a player finishing 11th in a 57 man LIV field would receive the same ranking treatment as a player finishing last, a contradiction that has fuelled criticism.

OWGR’s justification centres on its belief that LIV Golf does not yet satisfy several eligibility standards. These concerns include an average field size of 57 players in 2026 versus the regulatory minimum of 75, exclusively no cut events, limited pathways onto the tour with only two places via the Asian Tour’s International Series and three from a closed promotions event, self selection of players rather than open qualification, and recent roster changes based on nationality rather than merit.

Several of these issues, however, are already being addressed. LIV Golf has confirmed that all 14 events in 2026 will be contested over 72 holes and that field size will expand to 57 players, alongside plans to increase qualifying avenues and accessibility. OWGR itself acknowledged these efforts, noting that LIV Golf is “planning further changes for the 2027 season which OWGR will continue to evaluate.”

What This Means for LIV Golf and the Future of World Rankings

LIV Golf remains optimistic.

“We expect this is merely a first step toward a structure that fully and fairly serves the players, the fans and the future of the sport,” the tour said.

“We entered this process in good faith and will continue to advocate for a ranking system that reflects performance over affiliation.

“The game deserves transparency. The fans deserve credibility. And the players deserve a system that treats them equally.”

For a circuit built on evolution, entertainment and spectacle, LIV Golf has undeniably moved in the right direction. The awarding of OWGR points will ease some frustration, while growing sponsorship, rising viewership figures and increased institutional recognition suggest positive momentum.

Perhaps a strong 2026 season will convince OWGR to go further and fully recognise not just LIV’s established stars but also the emerging talent shaping the tour’s future.

About the OWGR Decision on LIV Golf Ranking Points

• OWGR will award world ranking points to LIV Golf players for the first time.
• Only top 10 finishers at LIV Golf events will receive ranking points.
• LIV Golf has called the restriction unprecedented and unfair.
• OWGR will continue evaluating LIV Golf as structural changes are introduced.