06 March 2024 , 00:35
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Matt Fitzpatrick doesn't pay attention to the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) anymore, especially given they don't include LIV Golf players.
The 29-year-old revealed he now chooses to trust other sources to get a feel for the current in-form players. Fitzpatrick didn't hold back on his comments and said the OWGR's way of ranking golfers is slanted to favor those on the PGA Tour, instead of looking at a golfer's entire body of work - including LIV.
"There's a lot of strength and depth on this tour," he said to Golf Today. "This is absolutely no disrespect to the winners because they played better than me this year but I don't think the world rankings are a true representation of the golf game at the minute. I don't really look at them or pay attention to them anymore. I just don't think they're right."
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Instead of using the OWGR to see where golfers are ranked, Fitzpatrick said he used data golf as an alternative because it provided him with more pertinent information than what the OWGR offered. Additionally, Fitzpatrick said that his decision to move away from using the OWGR is proof of how talented the field is on either side.
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"I think it's partly a sign that there's plenty of depth on here, which we've known that for years on the PGA Tour, there's always been a lot of strength and depth, but I certainly think nowadays the ranking side of it is a little bit skewed," Fitzpatrick added.
When further pressed about what made the OWGR obsolete in his eyes, Fitzpatrick explained how some of the best golfers are missing from the rankings because of their LIV Golf affiliation. And while he understands why that is, he does not necessarily agree with it.
Matt Fitzpatrick does not believe the OWGR accurately represents golfers from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf (Photo by Brennan Asplen/Getty Images)"I don't think it's right to not have these players involved in the world rankings, I mean what's Dustin Johnson in the world? I don't even know," he continued. "What's Brooks Koepka? I just think that's the only issue, in my opinion, right now with the world golf rankings."
Fitzpatrick's comments come shortly after LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman penned a letter to players explaining that LIV is no longer pursuing ranking points from the OWGR after a handful of failed attempts. "We have made significant efforts to fight for you and ensure your accomplishments are recognised within the existing ranking system," Norman's letter read, per Sports Illustrated. "Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us.
"The rankings are structured to penalise anyone who has not played regularly on an 'Eligible Tour' with the field ratings disproportionately rewarding play on the PGA Tour.
“Even if LIV Golf events were immediately awarded points, the OWGR system is designed such that it would be functionally impossible for you to regain positions close to the summit of the ranking, where so many of you belong.”
With some of the biggest names in the sport - like Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson - now playing for the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit, it remains to be seen if the OWGR rankings will change their ways to accommodate LIV's 54-hole, no-cut format. For now, it appears golfers on both sides have it known what their thoughts are on the situation.