Jon Rahm Set to Suffer for His LIV Golf Defection as Viktor Hovland Preps to Become the Spaniard’s Executioner at the Sentry

2024 might not start on a pleasant note for Jon Rahm. After losing his Tour card, thanks to his $566M LIV Golf move, the Spaniard might face another setback at the hands of PGA Tour Pro, Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian, as per reports, has a chance to oust Rahm from the World No.3 position in a few days.

Both Rahm and Hovland were in stellar form in the past season. Rahm, aside from winning the Masters also bagged three other titles last year. Ironically, two of them, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and the Genesis Invitational, have been named as Signature events with elevated purses and a bump in OWGR and FedEx points. Hovland, who will travel to Hawaii for the Sentry, has a chance to take up Rahm’s place in the OWGR table.

Viktor Hovland might become the new World No. 3

Hovland currently sits at no.4 in OWGR rankings with 323.17 points to his name. Whereas, current OWGR 3, Jon Rahm, has raked in 346.17 points courtesy of four wins last season.

However, because of his LIV Golf switch, the 2023 Masters champion has been banned from the PGA Tour for his “unauthorized” jump, effectively, nullifying his chances of defending his title at the Sentry. Hovland, who will tee off at Maui on January 4, can surpass Rahm if the Norwegian finishes on the top of the leaderboard.

OWGR Guru Nosferatru indicated a possibility whereby Hovland is likely to become the new World No.3 if he wins the Sentry. Notably, the exact OWGR points allotted to the no-cut, limited-field Sentry are not entirely clear. But Nosferatu revealed that sources point out that it will potentially be big enough to help Hovland move up the  OWGR table.

If Hovland manages to move up to the third spot, the 26-year-old would be thanking the recent changes.  Alongside this, a revamp of the points distribution system was announced in the wake of the PGA Tour’s Signature events, which can probably benefit the golfer.

OWGR changes that will favor Hovland

As per the new rules, limited field – less than 80 – no cut events will have a new points distribution curve. While the total points will depend on the field strength, the winner will have a greater share, 21% of the total allotted points. 

Read More: PGA Tour News: Viktor Hovland’s WITB for the Sentry 2024

Interestingly enough, the new changes also mention that in limited field events, the bottom 15 percent will not receive any points. Notably, among the eight Signature events in the 2024 PGA Tour calendar, five, including the Sentry, will not have the 36-hole cut. The Sentry, starting from January 4, has a purse size of $20M and 700 FedEx points for the winner.