Former OWGR Chairman justifies LIV Golf's rankings snub - "I was very disappointed"

Former OWGR chairman Peter Dawson opened up about the LIV golfers receiving the Official World Golf Ranking points. The Saudi league, which started in 2022, had applied for the ranking points back then, but their application was rejected, and in 2024, they withdrew it.

However, earlier this year, the LIV Golf had again applied for the ranking points. This week, in an interview with Global Golf, Dawson opened up about the Saudi league and shared his opinion on the league's ranking points. He said:

"I was very disappointed that we could not do so with LIV. It is self-evident that players on the LIV tour are good enough to be ranked because they were before. But OWGR has a duty to ensure that all of the thousands of players in the system are ranked equitably. Some aspects of the LIV format made that impossible. In my opinion OWGR made the only decision it could at the time."

He also talked about the LIV Golf reapplying for the OWGR points.

"I know that LIV has now reapplied to be included in the OWGR system. I want all golf initiatives to do well and I can’t see that LIV has been a success by any measure. Yes, it has given great wealth to a very few people but in terms of engagement its format of team golf isn’t resonating anywhere near enough with the fan base," he added.

Notably, Peter Dawson was replaced by Trevor Immelman as the new chairman of the OWGR earlier this year. Moreover, previously, Greg Norman was the CEO of LIV Golf, which is now led by Scott O’Neil.

The LIV Golf hosts limited-field 54-hole tournaments, and there is no cut line. Therefore, their applications for the ranking points were denied earlier.

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OWGR's former chairman opens up about PIF efforts in the game’s growth

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund serves as the backbone of the LIV Golf, and they have invested heavily in the league. In his interview with Global Golf, Peter Dawson also opened up about the PIF’s interest in the game of golf and its growth. He said:

"I really don’t understand why the PIF [Public Investment Fund] and Saudi Arabia are persisting with it. They are doing wonderful things for the women’s game with the PIF Global Series and they have terrific plans inside Saudi for expanding golf for their own people and for tourism. These initiatives deserve our applause but LIV seems to be the odd man out."

The LIV Golf has successfully wrapped up another season in 2025. The series includes some big names of the golf world, including Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, and many others.

As they do not receive the ranking points, the players struggle to maintain their ranking and qualify for the majors. However, it would be interesting to see how things will unfold in the future.

Edited by Ankita Yadav