27 February 2024 , 16:53
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Lee Westwood has become the latest LIV Golf star to label the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) 'obsolete', having fallen to a career-low in the list on the back of his move.
Westwood is one of a number of LIV stars who have tumbled down the rankings since signing on the dotted line with Greg Norman and Co. For all of its success over the past two years, one kink that remains in the armour of the Saudi-backed circuit is its failure to receive recognition and ranking points from OWGR.
Former world No. 1 Westwood now finds himself a world away from his previous stint as the planet's best golfer, currently languishing in 875th on the list, and at risk of falling outside the top 1,000 in the coming months.
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With LIV players falling further and further down the list, and less and less of its players earning spots at golf's four major championships, Westwood believes the current ranking system is no longer saveable. "I think the Official World Golf Ranking has got itself into a real hole," he told Australian Golf Digest.
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"It’s got itself to a point where it’s obsolete, really, if I’m being completely honest. It’s managed to be so stubborn that it no longer ranks all the best golfers in the world fairly. And it’s gone so far that I don’t see how it can come back from the hole that it’s in because you can’t backdate them.”
Of course Westwood is not alone in taking aim at OWGR, with fellow LIV star Louis Oosthuizen expressing his frustrations with the system last week. Oosthuizen will miss his first Masters Tournament since 2008 this April, after his own tumble in the rankings means he is no longer eligible to compete.
Lee Westwood joined LIV Golf in June 2022 (AP)The South African is one of many LIV stars - including Westwood - who will not tee it up at Augusta National this Spring, and therefore believes a complete overhaul of the current world ranking system is needed. He toldGulf News:"I think the whole system needs to change completely.
"If they don’t want to give us World Ranking points on LIV Golf then they should change the system where they give spots to Majors on each tour around the world or something like that. I’m surprised those (OWGR) guys have a lot more experience than me, sitting on boards and doing their things, that I can’t believe there’s no solution to it.”
Former PGA Tour star Joaquin Niemann has been another LIV star who has been vocally critical of the OWGR system in recent months, labelling the current ranking 'unfair' in January. In a bid to break his way into the majors the Chilean has been forced to play some of his golf elsewhere on the PGA Tour of Australasia, DP World Tour and Asian Tour.
It has come with success though, after Niemann was crowned champion of the Australian Open in December, thus earning him a spot in this year's Open Championship at Royal Troon. He then returned to the DP World Tour last month in a bid to earn more ranking points, finishing in a tie for fourth at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Whilst his trip away from LIV did not prove enough for him to break into the top-50 in the world, Niemann has still been able to find his way to this year's Masters, after his recent impressive form was recognised by Augusta National in way of a special exemption invite.