Senior PGA tour gamers have conceded the official world rating system is “damaged” after LIV boss Greg Norman formally deserted his pursuit for factors to be awarded to gamers on his breakaway tour.
Entry to main championships for LIV golfers together with new convert Lucas Herbert will relaxation solely on particular invites and exemptions after Norman’s transfer.
Having been denied an official request for his 54-hole, no-cut tournaments to be included, Norman, the LIV chief government and commissioner, stated continued dialogue had failed to maneuver the Official World Golf Rankings physique and the way in which ahead was “not by means of the present rating system”.
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Among the many rankings casualties are Aussie Cameron Smith who has slipped to No.50 on the earth and final week declared that he “didn’t really feel just like the forty fourth finest participant on the earth” however has resigned himself to a continued tumble down the record like so lots of his LIV colleagues.
The Queenslander stays eligible for all 4 majors till 2027 courtesy of his British Open win in 2022, earlier than he made the transfer to LIV, and he performs with seven Masters champions who’ve a lifetime exemption to play at Augusta.
Reigning Australian Open champion, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, additionally acquired a particular invitation to each the Masters and US PGA this yr in recognition of his latest success, which has included two LIV wins.
However the battle for the likes of Herbert, who joined LIV this yr, and fellow Aussies Marc Leishman and Matt Jones to make the majors can be consigned to qualifying for the British Open and US Open after Norman opted to finish his battle for the Saudi-backed league.
“It’s now clear that the easiest way ahead for LIV as a league and also you as LIV golfers just isn’t by means of the present rating system,” Norman stated in a letter to his gamers.
“A decision which protects the accuracy, credibility and integrity of the OWGR rankings not exists.”
Patrick Cantlay, who sits on the PGA Tour coverage board, conceded the rankings system had not adjusted to ongoing modifications within the golf panorama.
“Iassume that there’s been a lot uncertainty and alter within the final couple years that it’s inevitable that issues must be up to date or issues must be modified,” he stated forward of this week’s Bay Hill Invitational.
“I don’t know if we’ve labored by means of all of the modifications needed in comparison with all of the modifications which have occurred within the final couple years.”
Will Zalatoris stated the “utopian aim” was to have all the perfect gamers on the Masters, noting Niemann shouldn’t have wanted an invite to play at Augusta.
“You see what Joaquin’s carried out this yr, and he’s 73rd on the earth,” he stated.
“I’m not a man who’s on the coverage board or concerned with these rankings, however the man’s performed some actually good golf.
“I do know that that’s form of the utopian aim for all of us proper now could be to have the perfect gamers on the earth play week in, week out.”
LIV made changes to create extra spots and a relegation system to assist its trigger, however Norman wrote “the OWGR has proven little willingness to productively work with us”.
Solely 4 LIV golfers are on this week’s world rankings high 50, led by third-ranked Rahm, the reigning Masters champion who made the change final December, Seventeenth-ranked Tyrrell Hatton, who made the soar in January, five-time main winner Brooks Koepka, who’s ranked thirtieth and received final yr’s PGA Championship, and Fiftieth-ranked Smith.
Norman stated LIV gamers had been snubbed for thus lengthy that it will be troublesome for them to be correctly rated even when OWGR started assigning factors now for LIV occasions.
“The rankings are structured to penalise anybody who has not performed repeatedly on an ‘eligible tour’ with the sphere scores disproportionately rewarding play on the PGA Tour,” Norman stated.
“Even when LIV Golf occasions had been instantly awarded factors, the OWGR system is designed such that it will be functionally unattainable so that you can regain positions near the summit of the rating the place so lots of you belong.”