With the LIV Golf world golf rankings points debacle being a large talking point from 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 list of players defecting to LIV Golf has produced an endless amount of controversy in the last four years, one of the biggest issues facing the league’s rebels is their plummeting positions in the OWGR.
The top 50 or so players in the world can reap many benefits, including exemptions to major championships. Players must receive OWGR points with the majors at the heart of the sport.
‘Is there LIV Golf world rankings peace yet?’ I hear you ask.
The Greg Norman-led series did not initially receive OWGR accreditation, meaning players were unable to collect world ranking points for playing in the LIV Golf events.
The likes of Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm, number two and three in the world when they joined LIV, have both plummeted in the rankings, alongside many of their compatriots.
On Tuesday, October 10 2024, 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 should make to have a chance of a successful re-application.
However, on February 3, 2026, the OWGR board announced that LIV would receive points – a significant milestone in the league’s short history. The top finishers in each individual leaderboard can now earn points and climb the rankings. This has led to a small number of LIV golfers increasing their ranking since defecting to the league.
So, which players have played well enough since to rise in the OWGR? Are some stars still plummeting? Let’s take a look…
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LIV Golf rankings (As of October 5)
| Player | Pre-LIV ranking | Current ranking | Difference |
| Cameron Smith | 2 | 150 | -148 |
| Jon Rahm | 3 | 15 | -12 |
| Dustin Johnson | 13 | 255 | -242 |
| Joaquin Niemann | 19 | 35 | -16 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 20 | 519 | -499 |
| Abraham Ancer | 20 | 218 | -198 |
| Paul Casey | 27 | 315 | -288 |
| Adrian Meronk | 39 | 145 | -106 |
| Lucas Herbert | 67 | 52 | +15 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 16 | 24 | -8 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 29 | 37 | -8 |
| Jason Kokrak | 32 | 784 | -752 |
| Talor Gooch | 35 | 400 | -365 |
| Harold Varner III | 42 | 245 | -203 |
| Sergio Garcia | 54 | 141 | -87 |
| Cameron Tringale | 55 | 744 | -689 |
| Marc Leishman | 63 | 269 | -206 |
| Richard Bland | 66 | 608 | -542 |
| Graeme McDowell | 374 | 1106 | -732 |
| Phil Mickelson | 71 | 1801 | -1730 |
| Sam Horsfield | 72 | 1535 | -1463 |
| Lee Westwood | 74 | 378 | -304 |
| Matthew Wolff | 77 | 548 | -471 |
| Bubba Watson | 86 | 415 | -329 |
| Ian Poulter | 89 | 5027 | -4938 |
| Anirban Lahiri | 91 | 682 | -591 |
| Brendan Steele | 122 | 732 | -610 |
| Branden Grace | 118 | 261 | -143 |
| Thomas Pieters | 40 | 299 | -259 |
| Carlos Ortiz | 119 | 195 | -76 |
| Charl Schwartzel | 120 | 763 | -643 |
| Danny Lee | 267 | 2492 | -2225 |
| Martin Kaymer | 210 | 867 | -657 |
| Peter Uihlein | 311 | 241 | +70 |
| Sebastian Munoz | 93 | 640 | -547 |
| Dean Burmester | 83 | 203 | -120 |
| David Puig | 1835 | 82 | +1753 |
| Tom McKibbin | 106 | 119 | -13 |
| Thomas Detry | 62 | 89 | -27 |
| Victor Perez | 149 | 171 | -22 |
| Michael La Sasso | 1650 | 301 | +1349 |
| Elvis Smylie | 134 | 175 | -41 |
| Anthony Kim | 875 | 259 | +616 |
As of now, only five LIV golfers have gained positions in the world rankings since defecting from the PGA Tour, Micheal La Sasso, David Puig, Anthony Kim, Lucas Herbert and Peter Uhlein. Uhlein made it through final qualifying for the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale while Herbert won LIV Golf UK at JCB country club, alongside a sixth placed finish at the Open.
Ian Poulter remains the player to have lost the most positions since joining LIV Golf. Despite an impressive debut at the US Senior Open, where he finished fourth, the Ryder Cup stalwart has lost nearly 5000 world ranking positions since his LIV debut in 2022.
Despite rising in the OWGR since LIV Golf was granted ranking points for its events in February, Jon Rahm, the league’s highest ranked golfer, has yet to re-enter the world’s top-10 as he currently sits in 14th position.
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