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LIV Golf has admitted defeat in its pursuit of Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

Greg Norman, the Saudi-backed league’s commissioner, informed his players on Tuesday ahead of the fourth event of the season in Hong Kong that LIV had ended its pursuit of accreditation from the OWGR board.

In a letter obtained by bunkered.co.uk, Norman told his players: “We have made significant efforts to fight for you and ensure your accomplishments are recognised within the existing ranking system.

“Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us.”

LIV initiated talks with the OWGR body back in the summer of 2022, but had an application rejected last October over concerns of a lack of pathways into the 54-hole, no-cut tournaments.

• LIV Golf ends pursuit of Official World Golf Ranking points

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And LIV’s failed quest has resulted in high-profile players like Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith falling rapidly down the rankings since joining the breakaway circuit.

Jon Rahm, meanwhile, remains world No.3 just a few months after joining LIV and the Spaniard admits that he wasn’t even aware that the league was fighting the OWGR battle.

“I haven’t talked to anybody about this or seen any responses, but I’m going to be honest, I didn’t know they were still trying to get world ranking points,” the Masters champion said in Hong Kong.

“But the one thing I can say is I’m going to back to what I said two years ago in the DP World Tour Championship.

“I didn’t think it was a good system back then, and if anything, the more time that goes on, the more it proves to be wrong.”

Rahm used the case of Joaquin Niemann, who has won two of the first three LIV events but has slipped to No.76, as an indication of a skewed rankings system.

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“If anybody in this world, for example, doesn’t think (Niemann) deserves to be in the top 10 or doesn’t know that he’s a top player in the world, I don’t know what game you’re watching,” he said.

“We can tell. I think anybody who watches golf can tell who the best players in the world are, and obviously I don’t think the ranking is reflective of that right now to its entirety.”

Rahm added: “But our job shouldn’t be to make the rules or impose the rules or enforce the rules.

“We’re here to entertain, and it’s the governing bodies’ job to be doing this and be adaptable to the changing environment. That’s I think the best way I can explain it.”

The OWGR has representatives of the four major championships on the board that voted against LIV’s rankings application.

Norman has now called for a new independent ranking system and said in his letter he plans to “seek meaningful communication and relationships with each of the majors to ensure that LIV golfers are fairly represented and golf fans around the world have opportunities to see the best competition possible.”

topics

LIV Golf Jon Rahm Greg Norman

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.