“[OWGR] Is Just Nonsensical”: Talor Gooch Rips Apart World Ranking System That Turned a Blind Eye on LIV Golf

OWGR badly crushed the dream of LIV Golf after they rejected the plea for the ranking of the players in the Saudi League. A dream they have been harboring for the last two years was further setback by this decision. Crushed dreams have, however, impacted the LIV golfers’ rankings, but they sure have more things to say about OWGR.

Their world ranking has been falling steeply, with no more hope to cling to. Two months after the OWGR snub, LIV star Talor Gooch expressed his frustration about the impact of this decision with the help of some strong words.

Talor Gooch’s opinion about OWGR

Talor Gooch recently appeared on LIV’s special podcast, Fairway to Heaven, where, during a detailed session, he reflected upon the recent OWGR conundrum and ridiculed its existence by calling it irrelevant. When the host asked the three-time LIV winner about ranking and the chances of him playing in the majors, he answered, “OWGR, it’s just, it’s just totally irrelevant. And it’s just, it’s just nonsensical, and I don’t think there are many people who would disagree with that.”

Continuing to share what he thinks about OWGR, he said that he hopes that the ” complete nonsense” surrounding OWGR comes to an end at some point. The 2023 LIV star mentioned that he would like for everyone to figure out how could they rise above the OWGR chaos. Gooch feels that due to the split in tours and ranking issues, many players are missing out on majors. He mentioned that he longs to see the governing bodies of the major championships “care more about” their “field than about appeasing people.”

Understanding that there has been a shift in recent times, he wants to see the best players get on the field. Gooch adds, “We’re going to figure out how to get the best players in our field. And we have to assess that differently now because the total landscape of golf has completely changed.” Gooch hopes that he will be able to play in the majors this year, but he also knows that he won’t be able to do it due to his fallen ranks.

On the subject of excluding the Saudi League from ranking, Peter Dawson, chairman of the OWGR board, has previously said the OWGR is not at war with them. This decision is not political but technical. And because of this, players like Gooch are struggling.

Where does Gooch stand in the ranking now?

This has truly been a remarkable year for Talor Gooch. With three phenomenal wins, Gooch has shown his golfing prowess to the world. He bagged the first prize at LIV Golf Adelaide, Singapore, and Andalucia, with a total prize money of $15 million and an overall prize of $36 million. But all this fails to aid him when it comes to the world ranking. 

Also Read: Despite Earning $36M on LIV Golf in 2023, Talor Gooch Reveals His Bizarre ‘Superstitious Tendencies’ in His Latest Confession

He currently ranks at the 324th spot in OWGR. But this was not always the case. It was only last year that he reached his best career rank, No. 31 in the world, in January 2022. After that, he joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series in May 2022, and just like his new mates, his ranks too have suffered drastically. How many LIV golfers like him will play in the major in 2024? We will only find out next year.

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