LIV Golf awarded world ranking points for 2026 season

Competitiors on the LIV Golf Tour will be able to win world ranking points from the 2026 after a decision from the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) governing board ruled in favour of the tour’s application.

LIV Golf began in 2022 as a breakaway tour to the established professinal PGA Tour and DP World Tours having been founded by Saudia Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Each tournament lasted 54 holes instead of the usual four-round 72 holes played on the American and European tours and LIV was created with unique rules and teams to try and capture a similar vibe to that of the Ryder Cup. LIV has switched to 72 holes for the 2026 season, though that wasn't a big obstacle in getting world ranking points because other smaller tours around the world also have 54 hole events.

It drew big name players such as Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson whilst creating a rift with the PGA Tour in particular from which the players had to resign their memberships. Earlier this year Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed announced their intentions to leave LIV and seek reintegration into the PGA Tour.

Also in 2022, LIV applied to the OWGR with a submission for the tour to be awarded world rankings points for its players but was unsuccessful. The OWGR rejected the first application in October 2023 when former chairman Peter Dawson said the board could not fairly measure LIV against the other tours. A year later, the then CEO Greg Norman advised that LIV would no longer be seeking OWGR approval for ranking points.

However, LIV received a boost on the eve of its fifth season when the OWGR approved that the league will receive ranking points for the very first time in 2026.

A statement from OWGR reads: “The Governing Board of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) today announced its decision on the application from LIV Golf.

“After conducting an exhaustive and collaborative process, and in an effort to reflect the changing landscape of the men’s professional game, the OWGR Board has made the decision to award world ranking points to LIV Golf events for the 2026 season.

“Ranking points will be allocated to the top-10 finishers (and ties) in LIV Golf’s individual stroke play events, which recognises there are a number of areas where LIV Golf does not meet the eligibility standards set out by OWGR.”

The decision was unanimous but the OWGR board but comes with conditions. Only the top 10 players in each event will receive points.

Tyrrell Hatton at No. 22 and Bryson DeChambeau at No. 33 are the only LIV players in the current top 50 of the world rankings.