LIV Golf finally received the world ranking recognition it has long sought. The celebration was short-lived, however. An 'unprecedented' restriction from the OWGR has the league crying foul and could significantly harm its players.

"This outcome is unprecedented. Under these rules, a player finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th," a statement from LIV read.

LIV referred to the Small Field Tournaments classification they received from the OWGR. This comes from LIV's playing field being at 57 for 2026 compared to OWGR's minimum requirement of 75. And because it operates differently from other tours, OWGR decided only the top 10 finishers at an event will finish with points.

"No other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction. We expect this is merely a first step toward a structure that fully and fairly serves the players, the fans, and the future of the sport."

For LIV Golf, it stings harder because what was thought to be the fruits of a long-term effort turned sour. Since launching in 2022, the league has sought ranking recognition as part of its effort to align with the broader professional golf structure. 

In March 2024, then-CEO Greg Norman withdrew the application, arguing that the existing ranking framework no longer reflected the evolving landscape of professional golf. 

The effort resumed in July 2025 under new leadership, with CEO Scott O’Neil overseeing a renewed submission. 

That application followed a series of structural adjustments, including longer events and changes to player movement mechanisms, which ultimately led to the league’s inclusion ahead of the 2026 season.

And Those Changes Aren't Sitting Right With LIV's Biggest Stars

When LIV announced the shift to a 72-hole format in a November press release, Bryson DeChambeau supported the decision, stating that it brought the league in line with the format used across professional golf worldwide.

However, speaking with Today’s Golfer, DeChambeau offered a slightly different perspective while discussing the offseason changes

"Look, it’s 72 holes, it’s changed, but we’re still excited to play professionally and play for what we’re doing and go across the world. I think it’s going to be great for our [Crushers GC] team. Is it what we ultimately signed up for? No. So I think we’re supposed to be different, so I’m a little indifferent to it right now."

He also noted that his contract runs through this year and that decisions beyond that would be addressed later.

Over the past six weeks, DeChambeau has repeated the line, “I'm under contract this year. After that, come what may.” This time, he spoke more directly when addressing the format change.

You can read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar