LIV Golf finally won its battle to acquire Official World Golf Rankings Points.
They went all out to achieve this during the offseason, switching to a more traditional 72-hole format and abandoning the 54-hole format that once gave the tour its name. And they were rewarded, as the top 10 finishes at LIV events now earn OWGR points.
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You’d think that would end the controversy that has raged for years. But no. Some LIV players, like Jon Rahm, feel like 10 players isn’t enough, and are frustrated that the Saudi-backed league isn’t getting the same respect as the PGA Tour.
And before the second LIV event of the year, fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia was asked if he thinks the ruling is fair.
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Sergio Garcia says LIV’s OWGR ruling doesn’t feel ‘totally fair’
Rahm and Garcia are united on this matter. Speaking before LIV Adelaide, the 2017 Masters winner said that while this is a step in the right direction, he’s not completely satisfied with the decision.
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Garcia explained why: “It’s definitely a step forward. Is it fair? I mean, I guess time will tell us. It doesn’t feel like it’s totally fair. Now, the first few weeks, obviously, when one of us is winning, that guy is going to make a jump in the rankings, which is great.
“But then every time you finish 11th or worse you’re getting a zero and you’re getting an extra event on your divisor. So in the little farther future, it can hurt a lot. But like I said, it’s a step forward, so it is positive.
“I think that at the end of the day, it’s going to help some of these kids performing well to move up the rankings. Hopefully, they play really well. But unfortunately, only 10 guys can finish in the top 10. Well, unless there’s a couple of ties.
“It would be nice if it was expanded a little bit farther, as we probably think it should. But hopefully it’ll come soon.”
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It’s a difficult argument to make. The PGA Tour has fields of over 100 players and a cut line, so of course, they deserve more points than LIV, which has a 57-man field.
So while LIV got what they wanted, OWGR points, their decision to move to 72 holes might prove to be incredibly costly.
Sergio Garcia shares true thoughts on LIV Golf’s move to 72 holes
LIV’s move to 72 holes has been met with a mixed reaction from players. Rahm was pushing for the change, and is happy the tour made the move, but Bryson DeChambeau said it wasn’t what he signed up for.
As for Garcia, he’s once again aligned with Rahm on this matter. After playing his first LIV event with 72 holes, he was asked if he’d like to see a cut in a bid to secure more points, but Garcia is happy with the current format.
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He said, “No, I think it looks good the way it is with being 72 holes and everything. I mean, you could make like a little cut, but I don’t think it makes that much of a difference.
“I think when it comes down to world ranking points, they’ve already made a cut for us in the top 10. It’s kind of like an unwritten rule, you may say.”
That’s fair, but the whole point of the cut is a player must play well enough in the opening two rounds to earn the right to play the weekend. On LIV, every player is guaranteed to be playing all four days, which is a key distinction.
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