Jon Rahm has always been pretty open about his opinion on Official Golf World Rankings (OWGR) and its association with LIV Golf — or lack thereof. Ahead of the 2025 Masters Tournament, Rahm joked, “Where am I in the world rankings at this point? Am I out of the top 100 yet? A couple weeks to go and I’ll be gone.” Though now, a few months down the line, Jon Rahm is not out of the top 100 in the OWGR (yet), he has still fallen a lot in the ranking.

As per the recent OWGR points list, and following his jump to LIV Golf for a reported $400M, Jon Rahm has plummeted to 66th in the rankings, down from his PGA Tour ranking (3rd). Of course, this comes despite his consistent performance at LIV Golf. And it is bothering him. Currently gearing up for the 2025 LIV Golf United Kingdom, Rahm let this frustration speak, “I’m going to start off this by saying that I have my disagreements with the world ranking system before I ever joined LIV. I already thought it was flawed before I ever came, and I was vocal about it.”

He isn’t wrong. Ahead of the 2022 DP World Tour Championship, Jon Rahm highlighted the disparity in OWGR points, noting that the event’s winner would receive only 22 points compared to 38 points for the 2022 RSM Classic winner. At that time, he said, “I’m going to be as blunt as I can. I think the OWGR right now is laughable. Laughable. Laughable.”

Now, in a press conference, John said, “It’s crazy how you can actually finesse a little bit of the system by playing certain weeks and not playing certain weeks and things like that. It’s always going to be somewhat accurate but not the most, and I think strokes gained usually is going to be the better representation of how truly everybody is playing.” 

So, what exactly is strokes gained? In simple terms, strokes gained (SG) is a way to analyze a player’s performance by comparing every aspect of their game to others in a specific dataset. It takes into account factors like hole length, shot length, lie type, and every shot and putt, giving a detailed picture of a golfer’s strengths and weaknesses. So, what do Jon Rahm’s numbers look like?

He averages 1.004 strokes gained off the tee and 1.153 on approach, indicating strong driving and approach skills. However, his around-the-green game is neutral (0.019), and putting is relatively weaker (0.466). Overall, Rahm gains 2.642 strokes per round, though his last five starts show some variation, with totals dropping to 1.588 strokes gained per round.

However, he continued during the presser: “In Data Golf and world ranking, they both have their own version. I think they’re somewhat similar for the most part, give and take certain players. But if you’re top 10 in one, you’re most likely going to be top 10 in the other one. The order might change a little bit, but I think it’s a fair representation of where everybody is at.” 

So, what’s Data Golf all about? Data Golf is a website and brand that’s all about crunching numbers and visualizing data to gain insights into golf. They use statistical analysis to provide deep dives into player performance, predictions, and trends, catering to pros, amateurs, fans, and even sports bettors. Unlike the OWGR points list, Data Golf does include LIV Golf pros. But that does not mean the actual governing body can be dismissed. And, as per LIV Golf’s CEO, it’s one of the league’s priorities.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil has an update for LIV Golf pros

Ahead of The Open Championship 2025, LIV Golf resubmitted its application to the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) in an attempt to finally reward its pros the ranking points. Skip two weeks, and the league’s CEO, Scott O’ Neil, said, “It’s still a bit premature,” and that “We have filed an application, and I’m in pretty good contact with Trevor Immelman. We have a call later this week.” However, he agreed that “I know that’s not the answer you want to hear, but that’s what we agreed to.”

On the other hand, O’Neil deflected questions about what has changed since the league’s last application, instead focusing on his ongoing conversations with Immelman, the OWGR chair. The OWGR has previously raised concerns about LIV Golf’s format, including its closed fields, no-cut events, and lack of relegation.

The outcome remains uncertain, but it’s possible that LIV Golf might revamp its format, potentially introducing relegation and promotion, before the next season, which could set this new application apart from the previous one. LIV Golf has indeed been exploring changes, and in May, they revealed plans to require players in the “relegation zone” – including captains – to compete in a qualifying event to secure their spots. This move is likely aimed at winning over the OWGR.

Despite the uncertainty, LIV Golf has made commercial strides since O’Neil took over as CEO, including signing a new media rights deal with Fox and securing equipment and apparel contracts for teams. The league has also announced dates for its 2026 schedule, with events in Adelaide, the UK, and other locations. While it’s unclear if this new application will be successful, O’Neil’s efforts behind the scenes could potentially help LIV Golf gain OWGR points in the future.