Dustin Johnson hits unwanted career milestone as LIV Golf's ranking snub goes on

29 January 2024 , 20:30

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Dustin Johnson has fallen down the world rankings (Image: 2023 Getty Images)

Dustin Johnson has fallen out of the top-200 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for the first time in 16 years, as LIV Golf's wait for world ranking points goes on.

Despite luring in some of the sport's biggest names - including Johnson - there is still one kink in LIV's armour, and that is its lack of OWGR recognition. This has seen a number of its marque stars tumble down the rankings since deciding to make the LIV switch.

One of the biggest affected is former world No. 1 Johnson, who ahead of LIV's opening event of the season at Mayakoba this week as slipped to No. 202 in the rankings, his lowest position for some time.

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There is no doubt the American's drift in the rankings has not reflected his play out on the LIV setup, having prevailed as one of the league's top players in its two-season history. Campaign one saw Johnson become the league's first ever champion, winning the individual title at a canter ahead of Branden Grace.

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He then made it a double too, winning the 2022 LIV Team Championship in Miami alongside Patrick Reed, Pat Perez and Talor Gooch. He was unable to defend his crowns a year later, but ended the 2023 season fifth in the overall individual standings after another good campaign.

Dustin Johnson knows how to win on the LIV setup (Getty Images)

Sadly for Johnson however his efforts have all come without the awarding of world ranking points, which has seen him drift down the list. The LIV setup did apply for OWGR accreditation last October, but were once again rejected by the ranking system.

OWGR cited LIV's 54-hole, no cut events as well as the league's relegation and promotion policy for the reasoning behind the rejection. Unsurprisingly those in charge of the circuit were left unimpressed, with LIV bosses claiming OWGR had 'robbed' the sport's fans, players and stakeholders of a legitimate ranking system.

A statement at the time read: "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. This was a sentiment echoed by Johnson himself, who described the current OWGR as 'skewed' amid the lack of recognition of LIV members.

"I feel like you can't really use the world ranking system anymore," the former Masters winner said last October. "That's my take on it. Hard to use the world ranking system if you're excluding 48 guys that are good players. The rankings are skewed. It doesn't really affect me as it does some of the other guys. I want the points for the other guys."

Joshua Lees