How far have the LIV golfers fallen in the world rankings?
With no Official Golf World Ranking points available for the breakaway series, Matt Chivers keeps you up to speed the defectors’ backwards progress
With the LIV Golf world golf rankings points debacle causing havoc within the breakaway league, we track just how far each defector has fallen in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
LIV Golf world rankings
While the growing list of players defecting to LIV Golf continues to produce an endless amount of controversy, one of the biggest issues facing the league’s rebels is their plummeting positions in the OWGR.
The top 50 players in the world are able to reap many benefits, including exemptions to major championships. It is crucial for players to receive OWGR points with the majors at the heart of the sport.
‘Does LIV Golf have world rankings yet?’ I hear you ask.
The Greg Norman-led series has not received OWGR accreditation, meaning players have been unable to collect world ranking points for playing in the LIV Golf invitational events.
On Tuesday, October 10, the OWGR announced that LIV Golf’s application to gain world ranking legitimacy had been rejected.
The OWGR board detailed the modifications that LIV Golf must make to have a chance of a successful re-application.
Couple this with the PGA Tour indefinitely banning LIV’s rebels from returning to their circuit (for now), and we’ve already seen the defectors begin to plummet in the OWGR.
But just how far are we talking? Well, here’s a table showing where LIV’s stars ranked prior to joining the breakaway series, and where they sit today…
OWGR of LIV Golf players
| Player | Pre-LIV ranking | Current ranking | Difference |
| Cameron Smith | 2 | 52 | -50 |
| Jon Rahm | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 13 | 343 | -330 |
| Brooks Koepka | 19 | 33 | -14 |
| Joaquin Niemann | 19 | 82 | -63 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 20 | 117 | -97 |
| Abraham Ancer | 20 | 219 | -199 |
| Paul Casey | 27 | 573 | -546 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 29 | 110 | -81 |
| Jason Kokrak | 32 | 600 | -568 |
| Kevin Na | 33 | 1458 | -1425 |
| Talor Gooch | 35 | 586 | -551 |
| Harold Varner III | 42 | 503 | -461 |
| Patrick Reed | 38 | 85 | -47 |
| Sergio Garcia | 54 | 672 | -618 |
| Cameron Tringale | 55 | 873 | -818 |
| Marc Leishman | 63 | 476 | -413 |
| Richard Bland | 66 | 516 | -450 |
| Matt Jones | 68 | 496 | -428 |
| Graeme McDowell | 374 | 755 | -381 |
| Phil Mickelson | 71 | 151 | -80 |
| Sam Horsfield | 72 | 893 | -821 |
| Lee Westwood | 74 | 1106 | -1032 |
| Matthew Wolff | 77 | 811 | -734 |
| Bubba Watson | 86 | 2282 | -2196 |
| Ian Poulter | 89 | 484 | -395 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | 90 | 467 | -377 |
| Hudson Swafford | 91 | 1527 | -1436 |
| Anirban Lahiri | 91 | 441 | -350 |
| Scott Vincent | 109 | 510 | -401 |
| Brendan Steele | 122 | 623 | -501 |
| Branden Grace | 118 | 753 | -635 |
| Thomas Pieters | 40 | 380 | -340 |
| Carlos Ortiz | 119 | 216 | -107 |
| Charl Schwartzel | 120 | 402 | -282 |
| Chase Koepka | 1301 | 1539 | -238 |
| Sihwan Kim | 164 | 1056 | -892 |
| Pat Perez | 168 | 1250 | -1082 |
| Charles Howell III | 171 | 1566 | -1395 |
| Henrik Stenson | 171 | 322 | -151 |
| Danny Lee | 267 | 751 | -484 |
| Martin Kaymer | 210 | 4258 | -4048 |
| Mito Pereira | 46 | 181 | -135 |
| Peter Uihlein | 311 | 525 | -214 |
| Sebastian Munoz | 93 | 581 | -488 |
| Dean Burmester | 83 | 118 | -35 |
| Eugenio Chacarra | 3124 | 454 | +2670 |
| Jediah Morgan | 239 | 866 | -627 |
| James Piot | 1751 | 900 | +851 |
| David Puig | 1835 | 108 | +1727 |
Now read: ‘I think it is almost obsolete now’: LIV Golfers line up to hit out at rankings snub
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
