LIV Golf star Eugenio Chacarra has called on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) to finally sanction the breakaway circuit, after a number of LIV stars impressed at The Masters.
Amid golf's ongoing civil war the LIV-PGA Tour saga proved to be the hottest topic heading into tournament week, with 18 defectors making the trip to Augusta National for the opening major championship of the year. Question marks around how the LIV quota would perform were raised, following the lack of tournament cuts and 72-hole golf they had played over the past 10 months.
The LIV stars answered their critics though, with 12 of the 18 making the halfway cut, whilst three battled their way into contention after finishing in the top four.
Most notably out of the three, four-time major champion Brooks Koepka made his presence known, impressing across the week to hold the 54-hole lead over Jon Rahm heading into Sunday's final round. It was not to be for Koepka though, as a three-over-par 75 across his final 18 holes saw him lose out to PGA Tour rival Rahm by four shots.
It did prove to be enough for a tied-second finish, alongside another LIV golfer in Phil Mickelson. three-time green jacket winner Mickelson rolled back the years on day four, carding an impressive seven-under 65 - the lowest round by a player over 50 in Masters history.
Another former Masters champion - and now LIV member - in Patrick Reed also made his mark on Sunday. The 2018 champion picked up eight birdies across his final 16 holes to finish seven-under for the tournament and in a tie for fourth alongside Russell Henley and playing partner Jordan Spieth.
After more than proving their worth at golf's most prestigious event, the argument of OWGR recognition has once again been raised. The main dent in LIV Golf's armour has been failure to gain world ranking sanctioning, meaning those who have made the Saudi switch have been left tumbling down the rankings due to the lack of points on offer.
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On numerous occasions LIV boss Greg Norman has appealed for OWGR recognition, but has had little success. One man who has felt the effects more than most is LIV starlet Chacarra, and after Mickelson and co impressed around Augusta, the Spaniard believes it is now time for change.
Taking to Twitter after Sunday's final round, the youngster wrote: "I think that the players of @livgolf_league have shown a lot and have shown that they are still what they were and that there are many of the best players in the world t2 brooks and Phil t3 Reed etc... we need the world ranking together and that everyone can be in the majors."
Despite making their mark in Georgia, there are fears that LIV's representation at golf's four major events will reduce significantly, with world rankings playing a huge role in the qualification for each flagship tournament.
