Just One Season Old, Jon Rahm’s ‘Proud’ $550M LIV Golf Step Backfires Badly

LIV Golf has been the biggest rival for the PGA Tour, since the beginning it has poached some of the most prominent names from the PGA Tour. With a significant amount offered by LIV along with other benefits, players have proudly switched leagues. Within just 3 years, LIV Golf has stressed out the PGA Tour. Signing some of the biggest players like Jon Rahm for a huge contract of $550 million, for which he said, “I am proud to join LIV Golf and be part of something new that is bringing growth to the sport.” Even then, the league has fallen behind in keeping up with the race of world rankings.

In 2023, LIV Golf initiated the bid to be recognized by the OWGR. However, due to a variety of factors, such as lack of promotion, team competition, and the most crucial – tournament format, the bid was denied by the board of OWGR.

After rejecting the bid, Peter Dawson, Chairman of the OWGR board, shared with The Associated Press, “We are not at war with them.” He briefly described the technicality behind the decision, stating, “This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical. LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. 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.”

However, this rejection from OWGR apart from the league has also affected the players. Jon Rahm‘s ranking dropped from the top 20 due to the recent OWGR update, massively affecting him. The former world no.1 who stayed at the position for 36 consecutive weeks has now seen the adverse effects of the league switch.

During the period from July 19, 2021, to March 21, 2022, Rahm was at the top of the leaderboard. However, because of the bid rejection and the fact that he did not earn world ranking points, his ranking saw a drop. The next year, after being on the top, he slipped to 5th in 2022. While his win at the major helped him redeem to the top 3 in 2023. However, he is now ranked 22nd as of the end of 2024.

After 7 years and 9 months, Rahm has left the top 20 leaderboard. However, not only him but other players who joined LIV will have a similar feeling. But is there any new update for LIV towards getting the approval for OWGR?

LIV Golf’s progress for OWGR approval

World rankings are the only options that help players to qualify for the Major Championships. However, with no addition to the points in LIV, the players are extensively affected to qualify. Jon Rahm having the exemption can qualify, but what about other players? With the fixed roster to follow, LIV Golf will have to undergo several changes to make it viable for the OWGR.

While some pointers are being addressed by LIV Golf, like working on turnover. With most of the league having a turnover rate between 20-25%, LIV Golf has been around 10% only. However, with the rising questions about sustaining the market, the leagues have started to partner and get sponsors for various events. In the past, LIV Golf UK got sponsorship from JCB, which resulted in a new name for the event.

Apart from this, LIV Golf, after rejection, has withdrawn its bid. This is a bad sign for the players and the fans. Now with no changes in the format, which is the major issue for the league, it seems far away from being considered. So in short, there is still a long way before we see LIV players getting ranking points for the events. What are your thoughts on the OWGR rejection for LIV Golf? Can players sustain this rejection for long? Let us know what you think about it in the comments section below.