Golf Fans Brutally Criticize OWGR as Latest Scrutiny Comes to Light

From getting called “skewed” by Dustin Johnson to becoming a “laughable” affair for Jon Rahm, the Official World Golf Ranking has been under scrutiny for quite some time now. Neither the golf fans nor the pros seem to understand the allocation of points for limited and non-limited field events.

After updating its system in the final days of December 2023, the OWGR now appears to be more complicated. The recent comparison between the 2024 Sony Open and Sentry’s OWGR points distribution represents the difficulties faced by the general public in understanding the points distribution. Not only this, but it has also created havoc in the golf fraternity.

The OWGR points disparity gets brutally criticized 

A golf enthusiast recently shared the allocated points for the Sony Open (48.43712) and The Sentry (60.0048). The no-cut event had a field rating of 283.24703 while the full-field event had a rating of 281.59170. The difference is only 0.65533, but the allocated points have a difference of 11.56768. The tweet shared on X called the new “point curve” of OWGR a total “BS,” as the disparity in points is huge.

In December 2023, the Official World Golf Ranking introduced two new rules to enhance the competition and justly allot points to the different kinds of fields. According to OWGR, for the 2024 season, a player who wins twice in 52 weeks will acquire 60% bonus points, while a three-time winner at the same time will get 70%.

Secondly, in a no-cut field event, the bottom 15% of golfers will not get any points, and the winner’s percentage has been increased from 17–18% to 21% for a field of 80 players or less. A full-field event may get fewer points awarded than a limited-field or no-cut event. The comparison between the Sony Open and the Sentry proves that.

Subsequently, after the tweet reached the golf audience, they too had a fair share of reactions to the confusing points-distributing system of OWGR. On one hand, some fans were disappointed but not surprised, whereas others were truly confused by the allocation.

Netizens react to differential point distributions for similar fields

This was not the first time that the allocated points were being compared between events. Once, it was done between the DP World Tour Championship and the RSM Classic, where the latter had more points and field ratings. Similarly, a comparison between two different formats of PGA Tour events has sparked doubt over OWGR’s validity.

Read More: 2024 Sony Open: How to Watch, TV Schedule, Live Stream, and More

After seeing many cracks in the OWGR’s system, this fan said the system would soon perish. Hinting at the futuristic merger between the three major golf leagues of the world, they said that the OWGR points will not matter once that has been set up.

While one put forth a question and asked, wasn’t the OWGR system before the update more bizarre? To which the post’s owners replied that the system always contradicted the point curve.

This user commented how he doesn’t trust the OWGR anymore and thinks that the OWGR might not be a fair system at all.

Another called the OWGR a “closed system”  and pointed out that everyone is aware of it but no one dares to speak.

The OWGR offers world ranking points to 24 or more leagues except LIV Golf. Over the years, it has garnered much criticism for the allotment system. As the golf world changes, the system might also change, but until then, the golf world will have to wait.

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