February 2026 remains a turning point for LIV Golf as it received a nod from the Official World Golf Ranking. And the top-10 finishers at Riyadh have already made their claims on the points, with the winner, Elvis Smylie, earning 22.9869 points. 

Now, at LIV Golf’s stop at Adelaide, Scott O’Neil turned diplomatic and softened his tone regarding the OWGR’s recognition. He stated, “We’re so grateful to be welcomed into the golf family officially.”

He went on to acknowledge the PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Manohan, and the European Tour CEO, Guy Kinnings, on the OWGR board. After all, these two names showcased growth by acknowledging LIV Golf. 

“So to be able to get to that point, what a tremendous nod to what LIV Golf has built, is building, and where it’s heading in the future.”

And the final words of gratitude went toward Trevor Immelman, a former Masters Tournament winner, and the chairman of OWGR. Calling him a “wonderful leader,” O’Neil admitted that Immelman did an “extraordinary job in pulling the board together” despite the public scrutiny. 

“For us, though, world ranking points, we’re a nice recognition and a great step forward, and our focus is on making sure that as many of these young talented players that we have and these established superstars and these kind of solid-core veterans get the opportunity to play on the world’s biggest stage, and that’s the four majors.”

But there was a time when Scott O’Neil was upset with the OWGR’s decision. 

LIV Golf Calls Out “Unprecedented” Move by OWGR

In a statement soon after OWGR officially recognized LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed league criticized OWGR’s decision to reward only the top 10 performers at an event. This felt like a major setback because no other tour has such restrictions. 

The statement read, “Under these rules, a player finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th. Limiting points to only the top 10 finishers disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold, as well as emerging talent working to establish themselves on the world stage—precisely the players a fair and meritocratic ranking system is designed to recognize.”

But that stance changed after the winner at Riyadh jumped from 134th to 77th rank on the list. And we can certainly expect a rise in power at LIV Golf with the OWGR’s acknowledgment.

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Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Joyita Das