LIV Golf Wins One Over The PGA Tour As Fresh Amateurs Cruise into the 2024 Season, Per Rankings

OWGR might have given LIV Golf a snub, but the new entrants in the breakaway league rank way higher in the TUGR rankings than their counterparts in the PGA Tour. As per The Universal Golf Ranking,  LIV Golf got a top-100 player in Andy Ogletree next season. However, not a single qualifier in the PGA Tour ranks within the top 300.

TUGR, unlike OWGR, which enjoys all-around support from PGAT, DPWT, and Majors, ranks players based on their head-to-head scores over the past eighteen months. On top of that, it also ranks current LIV Golf pros. After the Q-School was completed TUGR revealed the rankings of each qualified player for the LIV Golf and PGA Tour revealing a shocking disparity. 

LIV Golf’s TUGR supremacy

As per TUGR, the highest-ranked LIV Golf qualifier is Andy Ogletree (OWGR 170) who is in the 96th position. Whereas, the top-ranked golfer from the Q-school of the PGA Tour is Harrison Endycott (OWGR 366). The Australian native is ranked at the 383rd position on the TUGR ranking. Notably, Ogletree, last year participated in the Saudi-backed league before falling out of favor. Endycott, too, had to work his way to regain his PGA Tour status after a poor maiden season saw him finish at the 129th place in the FedEx Cup standings. 

Andy Ogletree qualified by topping the Asian International Series and has since then joined Phil Mickelson’s Hyflyers GC., Kalle Samooja, Kieran Vincent, and Jinichiro Kozuma came through the LIV Golf Promotions event.  Samooja (OWGR 291) ranks at 354, 29 places ahead of Endycott. Whereas, Vincent (OWGR 403) is placed at 450 and Kozuma (OWGR 523), at 566.

Hayden Springer (OWGR 487), who finished tied for the fourth spot at the Q-school is the second highest-ranked golfer in the PGA Tour with 431 on the TUGR ranking. Raul Pereda (OWGR 879), who also finished at the fourth position with Springer, ranks at 608. 

On the other hand, TUGR 474, Trace Crowe (OWGR 234) finished second with 11-under. Blaine Hale Jr. netted a third-place finish in the Q-school, who however ranks outside the top 2000 on the TUGR and at 4117th place in the OWGR.  As future LIV Golf pros fare way better in the TUGR rankings, can this be the ideal alternative for the breakaway league?

Can TUGR be an alternative for LIV Golf?

After OWGR gave the cold shoulder to LIV Golf, the breakaway league said they would look for alternatives. TUGR, with its uncomplicated ranking system, might provide an alternative to the OWGR. Last month, the global ranking system tweeted that 23 LIV Golf players ranked within the top 100 in their rankings,

Read More: LIV Golf an Alternative? PGA Tour Aspirants Gets Harsh Reality Check That Might Jeopardize Their Future

However, one huge problem is Majors still look at OWGR rankings and so does Ryder Cup. So, even if the PIF-funded league switched to TUGR to rank their players, it wouldn’t favor their Major luck. Notably, Talor Gooch, despite winning the season-long individual trophy is not automatically qualified for the Majors.

Watch This Story | ‘They Are Desperate’: Fans React as Greg Norman and His LIV Golf Turn Mighty In the World Just Hours After Facing a Major Setback