‘What’s going on?’ – Bryson DeChambeau hits out at OWGR

Bryson DeChambeau has been left completely exasperated by LIV Golf’s world rankings plight. 

The Saudi-backed breakaway league’s failure to be sanctioned by the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) board continues to cause consternation after an application was rejected back in October.

LIV bosses have strongly maintained that the quality of players on their fledgling circuit warrants ranking recognition, but the OWGR board still has concerns over the circuit’s apparent lack of meritocracy, with closed fields and a lack of pathways into events.

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As a result, the highest profile names on the LIV’s roster have dropped down the rankings, causing many to question the validity of the system that has seen two-time Dustin Johnson fall outside the world’s top 200.

LIV commissioner Greg Norman recently described the OWGR system as “laughable”, and world No. 169 DeChambeau has now weighed in with his frustrations about the ranking body.

“I have words that I would love to say but you can’t,” DeChambeau said on LIV’s Fairway to Heaven podcast. “They said ‘you need certain requirements’, we have fulfilled all those requirements, despite what everybody thinks.

“If you go look at their handbook, we have fulfilled every single criteria. It’s been over 2 years now. What’s going on guys? It’s a bit frustrating, but nothing we can do at this moment.

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“If we showcase ourselves in the major championships there’s no way they can keep us out. We just got to play well in the majors and once we do, they have no choice.”

DeChambeau, who is still eligible for this year’s majors after his US Open victory in 2020, believes ‘egos’ must be put aside to unite the game’s warring factions and create a functioning world rankings model.

“It’s the players that ultimately decide,” he added. “If we all stopped playing and said ‘nah, we’re good, we don’t need to play’, what do you think would happen then?

“It’s the thing that I come back to most. The death to egos is what needs to occur on all sides and if that can happen its a step in the direction for the game of golf.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.