LIV Golf star jumps 1,000 places in world rankings after victory on Asian Tour
LIV Golf star Carlos Ortiz gained over 1,000 places in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), after winning the Asian Tour's International Series event in Oman last week.
Ortiz prevailed in the Middle East after shooting a faultless seven-under-par 65 in Sunday's final round in testing conditions, seeing of fellow LIV Golf member, Louis Oosthuizen, in second and his Torque GC captain, Joaquin Niemann, in third. Ortiz was one of 21 LIV members teeing it up in the International Series event.
With the breakaway league not back in action until LIV Jeddah later this week, Ortiz and Co. opted to head to Oman in preparation, with the hope of gaining some much-needed world ranking points, with the breakaway league yet to acquire OWGR recognition.
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And it was a decision that paid off for Ortiz. Not only did he land his first main Tour victory in four years, but he also made a remarkable jump in the rankings. Heading into the event, the Mexican found himself ranked 1,286th in the OWGR list, a world away from his previous best inside the top-50.
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Victory in Oman however saw him move all the way up to 237th in the list. Whilst it will not prove enough to get Ortiz into this April's Masters, he is hoping he can continue to find his form both in OWGR-based and LIV events, and battle his way back into major championship contention.
Speaking post-win, the Torque GC star said: "With the way the wind was, I had to hold on for the first five holes. After that it was more downwind, so this is how this course plays and you have to take advantage of it. The wind then kind of calmed down and I attacked the pins, and I made some good putts.
Carlos Ortiz prevailed on the Asian Tour in Oman (Getty Images)"I hope this is the start of a great year. It means so much to win an event on The International Series. I would like to play in majors this year and win on the LIV Golf League.” If he is to play the majors Ortiz will need another big jump in the rankings, but with LIV still waiting for OWGR points, the Mexican may well be out of luck for 2024.
The breakaway league attempted to gain ranking points last Autumn, but their latest application was rejected by OWGR bosses in October. The ranking system referred back to the league's 54-hole, not cut tournament format as well as its promotion and relegation system as the reasoning behind the decision.
Unsurprisingly, those in charge of the Saudi-backed series were left unimpressed. "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 LIV statement read at the time.
"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. LIV will continue to strive to level set the market so fans, broadcasters, and sponsors have the assurance of an independent and objective ranking system and the pure enjoyment of watching the best golf in the world."
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