LIV Golf abandons efforts for world ranking accreditation

LIV Golf’s years-long battle to earn world ranking points has seemingly come to an end, with CEO and commissioner Greg Norman informing players on Tuesday that the league has withdrawn its application.

The rival Saudi-backed golf league first filed with the Official World Golf Ranking board in July 2022, but the bid was rejected this past October. 

Dustin Johnson and CEO Greg Norman prior to teeing off on the final round of the LIV Golf League tournament on Feb. 10, 2024, at the Las Vegas Country Club. (Matthew Bolt/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"It is unfortunate that no way to include LIV Golf in the Ranking could be found which would be fair and equitable to the 24 currently eligible tours and their thousands of playing members," OWGR Chairman Peter Dawson said at the time. 

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"Keeping this matter under review, OWGR will continue to monitor developments in men’s professional golf as a whole and at LIV in particular."

But in a letter to players this week, Norman hit back at the OWGR. 

"It is now clear that the best way forward for LIV as a league and you as LIV golfers is not through the current ranking system," Norman wrote, via ESPN. 

Brooks Koepka plays his tee shot on the 10th hole during the LIV Golf Invitational - Jeddah at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on March 1, 2024, in Saudi Arabia. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)

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"A resolution which protects the accuracy, credibility, and integrity of the OWGR rankings no longer exists. We have made enormous efforts to fight for you and to ensure your accomplishments are recognized within the existing ranking system. Unfortunately, the OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us."

The application, according to OWGR, was rejected in part due to concerns over format and player pathways. 

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Dawson told The Associated Press in October that the rejection was strictly "technical." 

Greg Norman during day two of the LIV Golf Invitational - Jeddah on March 2, 2024, in Saudi Arabia. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)

"We are not at war with them," he said. "This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical. LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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