LIV Golf now receives world ranking points - but only the top 10

After years of tug-of-war, the LIV Golf League has reached an important milestone: official world ranking points will be awarded from the 2026 season. However, the joy of being recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is limited. Strict conditions, a limited awarding of points and the cool reaction of the PGA Tour are causing heated discussions in the golf world.

The start of the LIV Golf season in Riyadh marks a historic turning point. For the first time since the start of the controversial tournament series in 2022, results are included in the official world ranking system (OWGR). What at first glance looks like a victory for the financially strong Tour from Saudi Arabia, however, turns out on closer analysis to be a laboriously negotiated compromise that continues to cement the sporting hierarchy in professional golf.

Follow the LIV Golf season opener in Riyadh on the LIVE leaderboard here.

The new points arithmetic at LIV Golf

The decision of the OWGR board is linked to a condition that does not exist on any other professional tour: Only the top ten players in a tournament receive points for the World Ranking. While on the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour, all professionals who make the cut are usually rewarded, in the 57-strong LIV Golf field, all players from 11th place onwards go home empty-handed.

A look at the figures illustrates the gap compared to the established Tours:

The comparison shows that a victory at LIV Golf is rated lower in terms of points than an average event on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) and only reaches the level of "alternate field" events on the PGA Tour. This means that the way back to the top of the world remains a mathematical tour de force for the LIV pros.

Why the World Ranking Board remains tough

Trevor Immelman, Chairman of the OWGR, defended the decision as an "equivalent way" to reflect the best players in the world without undermining the global system. The rationale for the restrictive scoring system lies in the structural deficits that the Board continues to see in LIV Golf.

Despite the switch to 72 holes, the Tour remains a largely closed system. With an average field size of just 57 players, the league is well below the OWGR standard of 75 participants. The lack of permeability is also criticized: Only around nine percent of starting places are awarded via open qualifying routes, while on the PGA Tour this figure is over 22 percent. The Board was particularly critical of the team compositions, some of which are based on nationalities rather than purely sporting performance.

LIV Golf sharply criticizes the "unprecedented restriction"

The management of LIV Golf reacted indignantly. In an official statement, the league described the regulation as "disproportionate". They argue that players who consistently finish just outside the top 10 at a high level would be systematically disadvantaged. "No other competing Tour in the history of the OWGR has been subject to such a restriction," the officials said.

There is also skepticism among the league's top stars. Bryson DeChambeau, one of the figureheads of LIV Golf, was critical of the forced switch to 72 holes. There is great concern that the low points yield - which is barely on a par with the DP World Tour - will not be enough to stop the free fall of prominent names in the world rankings.

The PGA Tour's reaction: diplomacy instead of euphoria

The reaction of the competing PGA Tour was, as usual, cool and professional. In a terse statement, it simply said: "We respect the OWGR Board's decision today and the considerable time the Board and Chairman Immelman have invested in this process."

Behind this diplomatic façade lies a strategic composure. With the points for LIV Golf set so low, the PGA Tour's status as the most attractive sporting destination for the world rankings remains untouched. The fact that stars such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed have already turned their backs on the Saudi Tour to return to the PGA Tour underlines the fact that pure points recognition alone cannot compensate for the massive loss of prestige.

Read more about Patrick Reed's surprising departure from LIV Golf here.

The consequences for the Majors

For stars like Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson, the world rankings are the key to playing in the four majors. As many of these players do not have lifelong entry rights, without top rankings at LIV Golf they are threatened with elimination from golf's biggest stage. There are currently only two LIV players among the top 50 in the world - a clear sign of the loss of relevance in recent years.

It remains to be seen whether the current regulation will pacify the conflict in world golf. The OWGR has announced that it will re-evaluate the model for the 2027 season. Until then, LIV Golf will remain part of the official system, but will have to contend with a "glass ceiling" that will turn the climb to the absolute top of the world into a sporting marathon.