Bryson DeChambeau calls on majors to allow qualifiers for LIV Golf members after OWGR denied ranking points
World ranking points are used to determine who can play in the four major championships each year for those who haven’t qualified another way
Bryson DeChambeau’s spot in the Official World Golf Rankings is going to keep falling, and that’s going to impact his ability to play in the four major championships sooner or later.
The OWGR announced Tuesday that it was not going to offer LIV Golf players the ability to earn world ranking points at their tournaments. Those ranking points are used to determine who can play in the four major championships each year for players who haven’t qualified another way. While there are plenty of tournaments throughout the year on the PGA Tour, it’s still the four majors that matter the most in the sport.
"It's honestly sad that they've done that, and people are going to say that it's sad that we came over here," DeChambeau said ahead of LIV Golf’s tournament this week in Saudi Arabia. "But it's like, look, this is an amazing opportunity for every one of us. I think we've told that narrative quite a bit, and we want to continue to change and grow the game in places like Saudi Arabia, like Singapore, like Australia, numerous places we've all been throughout this year, and we're going to continue to do so over the course of time."
While the OWGR’s decision Tuesday drew a harsh response from LIV Golf, the OWGR insisted that they were “not at war” with the controversial Saudi Arabian-backed league. The decision was a technical one, as LIV Golf tournaments are set up differently from the rest of the sport.
So, with LIV Golf members still banned from playing on either the PGA Tour or DP World Tour, there are very limited opportunities for them to earn points. Only Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka are ranked inside the top 20, and Patrick Reed is the only other LIV Golfer inside the top 100. Former No. 1 Dustin Johnson is now No. 121, and DeChambeau, who was once No. 4, is now No. 132. DeChambeau finished T4 at the PGA Championship and T20 at the U.S. Open earlier this year.
While DeChambeau is eligible to compete in the Masters in April through a five-year exemption he earned for winning the U.S. Open in 2020, he would not be eligible based on his spot on the OWGR alone. There were 18 LIV Golf members in the field at Augusta National earlier this year, though that could easily be cut in half next year. Six LIV Golf members have lifetime invites for winning the Masters in the past, and Koepka, Smith and DeChambeau have all won other major championships recently enough.
So, since they still can’t earn OWGR points through LIV Golf events, DeChambeau is now calling for the four majors to add in a special criteria specifically for LIV Golfers, however that looks.
"I think at this point in time, now that they're not allowing it, we would love to find another way to be integrated into the major championship system since I think we have some of the best players in the world,” DeChambeau said. “Top 12 on the list, the money list, at the end of the year or the points list at the end of the year, would be, I think, obvious for the major championships to host the best players in the world at those four events each year."
Of course, this can all change if the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf finalize their partnership — though that is still up in the air and being investigated by the U.S. government. If that partnership does kick in, this may not matter come next spring. But as there are plenty of issues and questions surrounding that deal, this is still a very real issue for LIV Golf members for the time being.
