24 December 2023 , 18:42
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The OWGR board have approved changes to their rankings system in the New Year that highlight emerging talent and rebalance the points distribution curve for limited field events.
From January 1, the top finishers in fields featuring a maximum of 80 players will receive a higher percentage of the available points, while those that finish in the bottom 15% will no longer receive points. Previously, the standard curve was the same, regardless of whether they were full or limited field events.
Players now also have an added incentive to win multiple events within a 52-week-rolling period. Winning two titles in 12 months will earn players a 60% points bonus, with that rising to 70% with a third success in that time.
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The OGWR describes the multi-win bonus mechanism as providing opportunities for upward movement within the system. However, there is a cap of four bonus points to prevent them from overly affecting the top of the rankings while still being impactful further down them.
Predictions from the OGWR state that lower-ranked players could benefit from a ranking increase of between 50 and 100 positions with multiple wins. They say those on the Federation Ranking List stand to receive significant changes.
“Based on extensive analysis following the changes implemented in August 2022, we recognised these two opportunities to further enhance the OWGR and to accurately evaluate performances of the world’s participating players on all eligible Tours,” OWGR chairman Peter Dawson said in the announcement.
Dawson and the OWGR are not popular with LIV“Adjustments to the Ranking are made after careful consideration, and we are confident that today’s updates will better position the OWGR for the future.” These comments come months after Dawson and the OWGR irked LIV Golf by denying their application for tour status. “We are not at war with them,” he said in October.
“This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical. LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked.
“They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.” LIV did not take well to the decision.
"OWGR's sole objective is to rank the best players across the globe. Today's communication makes clear that it can no longer deliver on that objective," a statement released at the time read.
"Players have historically remained subject to a single world ranking to qualify for major championships, the biggest events, and for corporate sponsor contract value. A ranking which fails to fairly represent all participants, irrespective of where in the world they play golf, robs fans, players and all of golf's stakeholders of the objective basis underpinning any accurate recognition of the world's best player performances.
"It also robs some traditional tournaments of the best fields possible. Professional golf is now without a true or global scoring and ranking system. There is no benefit for fans or players from the lack of trust or clarity as long as the best player performances are not recognised."