LIV Golf members are on the verge of a major victory less than two months after abandoning their two-year push to receive Official World Golf Ranking points.
According to Sportico, OWGR and the Saudi-funded league that launched in 2022 are near an agreement to award LIV players points for the first time. The landmark move could be a step toward bringing more of golf’s top players together in marquee events.
OWGR is a crucial metric used to determine player eligibility for major championships.
New OWGR chair Trevor Immelman replaced Peter Dawson and was viewed in friendly conversation with new LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil during the 2025 Masters earlier this month.
O’Neil has made significant headway since taking over the role for Greg Norman this year, including a television rights and media agreement with Fox and equipment sponsorships with major brands such as Callaway.
The absence of a path toward receiving OWGR ranking points had been viewed as a blockade for some players to join the PGA Tour competitor and a potential reason for top LIV talent to return to the historically dominant circuit. Several players signed contracts with LIV, with those deals set to expire after this season.
Bryson DeChambeau is No. 12 in the current OWGR rankings and finished last season 10th. Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Reed of LIV Golf also are in the current top 50 in the OWGR.
Data Golf, which ranks all players regardless of their affiliation, ranks Jon Rahm No. 3 and DeChambeau fourth. Rahm is 73rd in the OWGR.
As constituted, LIV players are restricted from earning ranking points for events on their circuit. By participating in European Tour and PGA majors, LIV players do receive points.
The U.S. Open and the British Open created exemptions for LIV players to qualify based on their tour standings earlier this year.
Joaquin Niemann, No. 7 in the Data Golf rankings, qualified for the U.S. Open based on his LIV win at Mexico City last week. He’s currently 83rd in the OWGR.
–Field Level Media
