In a move that might indicate that the reunification of men’s golf is not imminent, the LIV Golf League has resubmitted its application for inclusion in the Official World Golf Ranking system.
Trevor Immelman, chairman of the OWGR board of directors, issued a statement Friday that the OWGR received an application from LIV on June 30 and that the review process has commenced.
“The OWGR Board is committed to a thorough evaluation process of all applications, and LIV’s application will be reviewed in accordance with OWGR’s criteria to ensure fairness, integrity and consistency,” Immelman, a former Master champion and current lead golf analyst for CBS Sports, said in a statement. “We appreciate the interest of LIV Golf—and all Tours—in contributing to the global landscape of men’s professional golf through OWGR. Further updates will be provided as the review progresses.”
Under former CEO Greg Norman, LIV Golf initially applied to the OWGR for accreditation in July 2022, shortly after its launch. In early October 2023, former OWGR chairman Peter Dawson announced that LIV’s application had been rejected, and in May 2024 LIV formally withdrew its application. The OWGR cited reservations about the league’s structure and competitive format, notably, the lack of promotion and relegation and the simultaneous individual and team competitions.
“LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked,” Dawson said at the time. “They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.”
LIV members currently only earn ranking points playing in the major championships or international tour events, including the DP World Tour and the Asian Tour. Having ranking points is crucial in order for LIV golfers to qualify for major championships, with all four men’s majors using the OWGR to exempt players into their fields. Two-Time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is the highest-ranked LIV player currently in the OWGR at No. 15. Tyrrell Hatton at No. 22 is the only other LIV golfer in the top 50, with major champions Patrick Reed (57), Jon Rahm (68), Brooks Koepka (276) and Dustin Johnson (957) well down the list.
In late April, Sportico reported that LIV Golf, now headed by CEO Scott O’Neil, had restarted discussions with OWGR officials. It is not known if LIV Golf’s new application features necessary changes to make it worthy of accreditation.
After the OWGR’s announcement that it was reviewing LIV’s application, O’Neil released a statement as well.
“We thank OWGR Chairman Trevor Immelman for his continued leadership and willingness to move the sport of golf forward for the benefit of all players and most importantly, the fans. LIV Golf is committed to working together with the Official World Golf Ranking and its board to ensure the very best players are competing in the game’s most prestigious events. We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system. We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 major season.”
The OWGR Board of Directors is scheduled to hold a regular meeting next week at Royal Portush during the British Open, although a decision on the application at that meeting is highly unlikely.
The LIV Golf League is holding its latest event this week at Valderrama Golf Club in Spain. There are 19 LIV golfers in the 156-man field for next week’s British Open at Royal Portrush.
