How on earth does the Hero World Challenge have world ranking points?
NCG’s Matt Chivers cannot understand how the 20-player field at the Hero World Challenge can be granted OWGR points…
The decision of the Official World Golf Rankings to reject LIV Golf’s application was correct.
The league has a “closed-style” nature and the team element compromises individual performances.
LIV need to make adjustments and the OWGR made that clear.
But I have no doubt one of LIV’s points of reference in their quest for ranking points was the Hero World Challenge.
It is utterly baffling how this tournament has world-ranking points.
20 players are all invited to play based on their exploits of the previous year.
But, one of them is Tiger Woods who can barely walk and hasn’t played since April and another is Lucas Glover, whose late-season renaissance spared his blushes of winning just once in 12 years.
Will Zalatoris hasn’t played since the Masters either.
The ISPS Handa Australian Open and the Investec South African Open Championship both have 156 players and less than half the ranking points on offer to the winner.
There are 11 major champions playing in the Bahamas and five previous World No.1s as well as the current top player Scottie Scheffler.
But, there is no meritocracy to qualifying for the Hero World Challenge. There is no pathway to earn a spot to play with these stars.
If you thought the US Ryder Cup team was ‘a boy’s club’, then the Hero World Challenge field is a boy’s institution.
This is the silly season, a relaxed stage of the calendar with tournaments primarily for fun and a relief from the stress of the regular season.
If I was Greg Norman, part of me would think, “How can the OWGR board deny us when that end-of-year jolly in Albany is given the green light?”
What is the justification for the Hero World Challenge’s OWGR points?
The attachment of Woods and his foundation is the likely link, but you’d like to think such a strong degree of sycophancy isn’t at play.
The world ranking system is under enough pressure as it is, being described in many quarters as obsolete.
No matter how far Dustin Johnson or Bryson DeChambeau fall down the rankings, there is no bigger stain on the OWGR than the Hero World Challenge.
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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.
