"Not our job!" - Mickelson hits out in rankings row as LIV omission continues

01 May 2023 , 12:57

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Phil Mickelson hit out at the Official World Golf Rankings (Image: AP)

Phil Mickelson has taken aim at the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), as LIV Golf events continue to go ahead without ranking points being on offer.

LIV Golf has made huge strides since forming last summer, luring in some of the game's biggest names from the PGA Tour to compete in their Saudi-funded series. Amid their ongoing battle with the PGA Tour though, there is one huge kink in the LIV armour.

This is the breakaway league's lack of world ranking points, with Greg Norman and co still yet to acquire sanctioning from the OWGR nearly a year on from forming.

Having been banned from the PGA Tour and competing without points during LIV events, some of the rebel circuit's biggest names have seen themselves tumble down the world rankings over the past 11 months. Mickelson himself fell to a career low earlier this year, before rising back up the rankings with a tied-second finish at last month's Masters.

With LIV players starved of ranking points, many have questioned the legitimacy of the world ranking system. One of the Saudi-backed series' biggest fallers has been Bryson DeChambeau, and the US Open champion made his feelings known just last week, after labelling the system 'obsolete'.

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Phil Mickelson is one of LIV Golf's biggest names (AP)

The discussion has since reignited, and this time it is six-time major champion Mickelson who has had his say. Amid the LIV snub, the breakaway league's critics have been left leaving no sympathy, with the fact the rebel circuit still fail to meet OWGR criteria often put into the face of Mickelson and co.

And this was the case following LIV's latest event in Singapore on Sunday, when former PGA Tour player Colt Knost made that exact point on social media. Mickelson though disagreed, and instead claimed it is not LIV Golf's 'job' to have to fit to such criteria.

The former world No. 2 tweeted: "Colt. It is not our job. It is the owgr’s job to rank ALL the players in the world. Maybe they can do THEIR job and figure it out like they do for multiple tours with hundreds of players not even close to as good.But that would hurt the PGA’s revenue from CBS so the leaders won’t."

Late last year LIV CEO Norman announced the Saudi-backed series had formed a 'strategic alliance' with the lesser-known MENA Tour, co-sanctioning their events in a bid to have world ranking points on offer. This application however was rejected by OWGR, and LIV's wait for ranking recognition was forced to go on.

Joshua Lees