LIV Golf’s New Leadership Reapplies for World Ranking Points

LIV Golf has again applied for accreditation with the Official World Golf Ranking, nearly two years after its first attempt was denied.

On Friday, the OWGR announced it had received an application from LIV seeking inclusion in its system on June 30, 2025, and a review process has commenced.

“The OWGR Board is committed to a thorough evaluation process of all applications, and LIV’s application will be reviewed in accordance with OWGR’s criteria to ensure fairness, integrity and consistency,” said Trevor Immelman, chairman of the OWGR board of directors, in a statement. “We appreciate the interest of LIV Golf—and all tours—in contributing to the global landscape of men’s professional golf through OWGR. Further updates will be provided as the review progresses.”

While LIV offers some of the richest purses in professional golf, its tournaments have not  awarded world ranking points since the league’s inception in 2022. That’s led to many previously high-ranked golfers having steep falls in the rankings, in turn making it much harder for them to qualify for the four major championships: The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Open Championship (also known as the British Open).

“We thank OWGR Chairman Trevor Immelman for his continued leadership and willingness to move the sport of golf forward for the benefit of all players and most importantly, the fans,” LIV CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement. “LIV Golf is committed to working together with the Official World Golf Ranking and its board to ensure the very best players are competing in the game’s most prestigious events. We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system. We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 major season.”

The OWGR is effectively controlled by the majors, as they hold four of the seven seats on the OWGR board. The other three are held by representatives from the PGA Tour, European Tour Group, and International Federation of PGA Tours.

One More Try

LIV’s original OWGR application, led by former CEO and commissioner Greg Norman, was rejected in October 2023. Several factors led to the OWGR’s decision, including LIV events being 54 holes, not the standard 72; LIV events not having smaller fields (around 50 players) and no cut; and LIV having too many guaranteed spots in the league.

It’s unclear whether LIV plans to make any concessions to its tournament formats to improve its chances of earning OWGR points.

LIV is now led by a new CEO in O’Neil, who replaced Norman in January. Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion and lead CBS golf analyst, became the OWGR’s new board chair in April, succeeding Peter Dawson, who had held the post since 2016.