23 February 2024 , 16:33
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Bryson DeChambeau has claimed LIV Golf have met all of the Official World Golf Ranking's (OWGR) criteria, despite their ongoing wait for world ranking points.
LIV have battled their way to the top of the professional golf pyramid alongside the PGA Tour over the past two years, but the one kink that remains in their armour is their lack of OWGR recognition. Amid their ranking snub, LIV events have been forced to go ahead for more than two seasons without OWGR points on offer.
This has resulted in some of the league's biggest names slumping down the world rankings, including former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who now finds himself ranked 238th on the list.
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Their latest bid for ranking points came last October, but this was rejected by those in charge of OWGR. The ranking system cited LIV's 54-hole, no cut tournament format, as well as their promotion and relegation system among the key reasonings behind their wait for points.
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One the circuit's biggest names, DeChambeau, is another star who has seen his spot in the rankings tumble, and despite the rejection last Autumn, he believes LIV tick every box presented by the OWGR. "They said 'you need certain requirements', we have fulfilled all those requirements, despite what everybody thinks," he told LIV's Fairway To Heaven podcast.
"If you go look at their handbook, we have fulfilled every single criteria. It's been over two years now. What's going on guys? It's a bit frustrating, but nothing we can do at this moment. If we showcase ourselves in the major championships there's no way they can keep us out.
Bryson DeChambeau is eligible to compete in all four majors (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)"We just got to play well in the majors and once we do, they have no choice." The major championships is the biggest talking point surrounding the ranking saga, with the four flagship events basing the majority of their fields off the top performers on the OWGR list.
DeChambeau is one of the lucky ones, having earned a five-year exemption to the Masters, Open and PGA Championship on the back of his 2020 U.S. Open win, and a 10-year spot in the field of that event. Elsewhere though some of LIV's other stars have been cast aside from the major fields.
Former top-20 player Joaquin Niemann has voiced his frustrations in recent months over his lack of entries into the top-four events of the season on the back of his move to LIV. An impressive start to the 2024 season which has seen him win twice however has proved enough to earn a special exemption invite to this April's Masters.