Does LIV Golf Have OWGR Points in 2023?

Published 02/16/2023, 6:30 PM EST

Cementing the foundation of LIV Golf was no easy task. The Saudi-funded Tour had to undergo countless ups and downs to win the hearts of golf fans. However, a season later, it has managed to turn the table somewhat to its side. The lucrative Tour now has a broadcasting deal, financial backing with no roadblocks, the biggest names in the sport, and an expected profitable future. Nonetheless, does the breakaway Tour has OWGR points? Let’s find out.

LIV Golf’s second season will commence on February 24th at Mexico’s El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course. The league had managed to grasp all the top names of the PGA Tour during its inaugural season. Many golfers made the jump stating for better remuneration and a relaxed schedule.

However, it was only after joining the lucrative Tour that defectors began facing the repercussions of their decision. One of the drawbacks was the breakaway Tour’s failure of falling in the Official World Golf Ranking’s criteria. While the Tour has been on the horizon since the conclusion of its first season, will players be able to avail OWGR points in the upcoming season?

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Will LIV Golf players finally earn the OWGR points for the 2023 season?

Just like its intense war with the PGA Tour, the newly founded golf league has also been in a battle with the ranking body. OWGR rejected LIV Golf’s plea of being able to earn points for its players. But will the new season hold a different faith for the defectors? Unfortunately for them, no.

In the December of 2022, the Official World Golf Ranking released a list of 20 Tours that will be earning valuable points from thereon. However, LIV Golf was left off the list. While Greg Norman and many of its stars claim it is an injustice on the OWGR’s behalf, they had their own justifications to prove their innocence. Firstly, the lucrative Tour has a no-cut policy.

Meanwhile, every Tour under the OWGR’s list follows the traditional cut-line rule. However, when it comes to the other reason, the ranking body may have been a little against LIV Golf. The Saudi-funded Tour follows a 54-hole format, unlike PGA Tour and many others that commonly use the 72-par format. While OWGR may consider the lucrative Tour’s lesser hole format as another issue, it did approve the application of Gira de Golf Professional de Mexicana.

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The Mexican Tour also uses the 54-hole format but was listed in the OWGR’s December list of new entries. Apart from the ‘hole‘ drama, another statute of the governing body states that the Tour must be in existence for at least one or two years. LIV Golf applied for OWGR points back in 2021 and has been on the red side of the list ever since. However as the new Tour slowly grows older, it will hopefully be able to overcome this rule.

While the Saudi-funded Tour has been trying its best to fall into the criteria, its players have been the biggest victims of their policies. Dustin Johnson, who won the inaugural LIV Golf season, has fallen out of the top 50 rankings for the first time since 2010. Moreover, 2020 US Open winner, Bryson DeChambeau, is not even in the top 100.

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Though the upcoming season will have a similar fate as the last one, with no OWGR points, the players will hope to seek points at least by the mid-season or next year. Till then, the defectors will try to earn at least some points through other Tours events such as the European Tour and Asian Tour.

Do you think LIV Golf stars deserve OWGR points? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Written by:

Abdul Bari is a Golf writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Abdul is currently pursuing his Master’s in the same. With great affection for the world of sports, this avid golf lover turned to the course at a young age.

Edited by:

Manaal Siddiqui

Does LIV Golf Have OWGR Points in 2023?

Will LIV Golf players finally earn the OWGR points for the 2023 season?

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