Lee Westwood has never been shy about speaking his mind, and his latest remarks regarding the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) are causing plenty of discussion across the golfing world. The former World No. 1, who joined the LIV Golf League in its inaugural season, believes that the failure to properly recognize LIV Golf’s events is undermining the credibility of golf’s most trusted ranking system.
“A Mockery of the System”
Westwood, who boasts 44 professional wins worldwide, said the refusal to grant LIV Golf full OWGR status paints an incomplete picture of global golf performance. According to him, players competing on LIV have proven pedigree, yet are steadily tumbling down the world rankings because their tournaments don’t currently carry official points.
“When the best players in the world are playing against each other every week, and those events aren’t recognized, it makes a bit of a mockery of the system,” Westwood explained. “How can you say you have an accurate ranking when it doesn’t include everyone playing at the highest level?”
The LIV vs OWGR Debate
LIV Golf officially applied for OWGR recognition shortly after launching in 2022, but more than two years later, its application has been denied. The primary reasons cited by the OWGR board include LIV’s 54-hole format, shotgun starts, and closed roster, which differ from the traditional 72-hole, cut-based tournaments on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
Critics argue that these structural differences make LIV’s format incompatible with long-standing ranking metrics, while supporters like Westwood say the refusal is rooted more in politics than fairness.
Impact on Players and Majors
The lack of OWGR points has significantly impacted LIV players’ ability to qualify for major championships. Aside from those who already have exemptions, many have seen their rankings plummet, effectively locking them out of events such as The Masters and The Open Championship despite competing at a high level.
Westwood believes this exclusion does not reflect the true competitive landscape of professional golf.
“Fans want to see the best against the best, and we are seeing that every week on LIV,” he said. “It’s wrong for a ranking system to ignore that and then pretend it’s giving fans and tournaments an accurate measure of who the best players are.”
What’s Next?
The debate over LIV Golf’s place in the OWGR is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. With both sides entrenched, questions remain about whether golf needs a unified ranking system or if the sport is heading toward permanent division.
For Westwood and other LIV players, however, the fight is about recognition as much as competition. As he put it, “Golf is evolving. The rankings need to evolve with it, or risk becoming irrelevant.”
