LIV Golf player Anirban Lahiri has moved two places up the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to retain his place in the top 100.
Lahiri spent two weeks outside the world’s top 100 in November. However, helped by two appearances on the Asian Tour and one on the Professional Golf Tour of India, which offer OWGR points, he’s clambered back above that threshold in recent months. Still, the most recent of those tournaments came in February’s Saudi International, so it’s a surprise that he has jumped two places in this week's rankings to World No.97.
Given the paucity of opportunities for LIV Golf players to accumulate points, particuarly considering the circuit’s packed 2023 schedule and the fact that Lahiri is one of its players unlikely to be in the field for next month's Masters, it seems inevitable that his next spell beneath the top 100 will arrive sooner rather than later.
That has already happened to three more players following last week’s news that former World No.1 Brooks Koepka had also fallen out of the top 100 after almost 10 years. Marc Leishman had a relatively strong performance in the LIV Golf Tuscon event, finishing tied for 13th, but, thanks to its ineligibility for the points, it didn’t improve his position. Instead, the Australian fell six places to World No.101.
Another player now outside the top 100 is Paul Casey, who has suffered a fall of eight places to World No.102. That is in stark contrast to the position of World No.26 he held when he joined LIV Golf last July. Finally, Louis Oosthuizen has fallen four places to World No.104 just one year after he was ranked World No.14.
LIV Golf has been embroiled in a long-running battle secure eligibility for the points, with 50 of its players signing a letter to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson urging the organisation to rule in its favour and a strategic alliance with the developmental MENA Tour among its efforts to resolve the situation. However, more of its players are likely to slip further down the rankings than move up them as that fight continues.
