What Is OWGR? Why Are PGA Tour and LIV Golf Dependent on It?

The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is a system designed specifically to rank and rate the professional performance of golfers all around the world.

The system, introduced in 1986, tallies a golfer’s individual performance over a rolling term, which is a two-year period and assigns them a numerical ranking. The system is dynamic, which means that new rankings get calculated every week, which helps in updating the charts based on the players’ latest form and performance.

OWGR rankings have many benefits

Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are tournaments dominated by big names in the golf realm. One of the major dependencies on OWGR would be to determine a player’s eligibility. The rankings are used to specify eligibility criteria for various tournaments, including major championships. To qualify for these tournaments, players need to maintain a certain rank.

Another specific asset that OWGR has is that it helps assess the strength of the field in a tournament. It is often seen that tournaments that have higher-ranked players tend to attract more viewership and patrons, making them financially lucrative.

 The biggest advantage of the system is that when a tournament features top-ranked players, the players can negotiate and ask for better sponsorship and broadcasting deals due to increased viewership and media coverage, which OWGR helps determine.

Currently, LIV Golf does not have an OWGR system backing because of some criteria and time-centric issues. 

The absence of LIV Golf’s OWGR qualification puts players at a disadvantage

OWGR has always had a major significance in the decision-making procedures in the golf world. The points accumulated by the players not only serve as a metric of their performance but also greatly influence their opportunities in prestigious events under the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Also Read: As Tiger Woods Adopts a Unique New Role at the Ryder Cup, Will His Legacy Reach New Peaks? 

Despite a star-studded roster that includes top players like Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson, LIV Golf faces a significant challenge. It has yet to qualify for OWGR points because it does not meet certain criteria. This lack of OWGR points has consequences for both the League and the players, as even after proving exceptional skills on the greens, the LIV players’ rankings do not rise, leaving them out of contention for events such as the Ryder Cup.

Players like Johnson, and DeChambeau, who once boasted much higher rankings, have seen a decline after their involvement with LIV Golf, and now as a result, despite their exceptional skills, the players have found themselves outside the top 100 rankings. This entire situation highlights the difficulties posed by the lack of OWGR recognition.

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