Exclusive; Greg Norman slams “laughable” LIV Golf problem he constantly faces
Greg Norman, president of LIV Golf, criticized the Official World Golf Rankings because breakaway tournament players continue to drop down the rankings and because LIV tournaments do not provide ranking points.
LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman has launched a new attack on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) as the groundbreaking Saudi-backed tour continues its fight for recognition. LIV has been attracting world-class players since its inception in 2022, but this tour is not sanctioned by the OWGR.
The October decision found that the tour did not meet OWGR standards due to numerous factors, including LIV’s 54-hole format, team competition and lack of a proper qualifying process. As a result, tour players’ rankings plummeted, and some of them were unable to play in major tournaments unless they qualified through other means.
Players such as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith have advanced to the Big Four tournaments secured by recent major championship wins, while others including 2023 LIV Golf Champion Talor Gooch and former Ryder Cup stars Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.
The players also succeeded. . skip The two-time major champion and many of his players criticized OWGR for the decision, with the Australian stepping up his criticism when he reflected on the latest rankings on Monday. Norman posted a photo of the OWGR Top 50 along with Sports Illustrated, Universal Golf Ranking, and Data Golf Ranking on Instagram and said, “It’s ridiculous.
Excluding recent signees, LIV has two players in the top 50 in OWGR!” There are five LIV players in the OWGR top 50. Three of them are rookies. Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk got to their positions primarily through success on the PGA Tour last season.
Koepka ranks 29th among the highest-ranked founders on the LIV roster thanks to his win at the PGA Championship last year and his strong performance at the Masters. Meanwhile, countryman Norman Smith remains ranked 44th thanks to his win at the 2022 Open Championship.
However, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, two of the stars poached from the PGA Tour when LIV launched, have fallen to 231st and 169th, respectively, and are in danger of losing their major championship spot due to their major championship exemption. In 2020. end. The other three rankings cited by Norman included eight to 10 LIV players in the top 50, adding weight to Smith’s argument following the October decision that OWGR had lost credibility. “I think it’s almost useless,” the 30-year-old said. He said, “There are players who play the best golf in the world, but they are not in the top 100 or 200 in the world. It’s pretty fun.”
Johnson, a former Masters and US Open champion, agreed with his LIV Golf rival, adding: “I don’t think we can use the world ranking system anymore. This is my view. It is difficult to utilize the world ranking system if you exclude 48 good players. There are mixed reviews. It doesn’t affect me as much as it does others. “I hope other players get points too.”
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf Sponsor Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund continue to negotiate a merger deal that could reopen more routes for LIV players to earn ranking points, but no decision has been made despite months of negotiations .
