The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has attracted fresh debate on the back of Scottie Scheffler’s emphatic victory at the Hero World Challenge, a 20-man event that offered the winner more World Ranking points than both of the weekend’s full field DP World Tour tournaments put together.
Scheffler, the current World No.1, earned 30 World Ranking points for his victory at Tiger Woods’ event in The Bahamas, which contained a strong, albeit small, field.
The Hero World Challenge, which is not an official PGA Tour event, has a history of attracting some of the world's best players, as it did last week, but it does not have a cut.
Joaquin Niemann, who won the Australian Open, was awarded approximately 14.8 World Ranking points., whilst Dean Burmester earned 11.95 for his victory at the Joburg Open in November, both of which are co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and featured fields containing over 150 players and a halfway cut.
Burmester, who plays in the LIV Golf League, has now recorded back-to-back victories, after winning the weekend's South Africa Open, which earned him 12.50 World Ranking points.
The OWGR has faced criticism in recent times for not offering World Ranking points to those players competing on LIV Golf, its tournaments of which feature 48 players and no cut.
Despite its tournaments having limited fields and only being contested over 54 holes, as opposed to the more regular 72-hole format, a number of Major winners and former World No.1s compete on LIV.
Some players have questioned how accurate the current OWGR is, and such criticisms have resurfaced once again after Scheffler’s victory over just 19 other players.
No No No seriously, there is nothing wrong with the @OWGRltd.... 🤔🤣🤪🤮💣💥 pic.twitter.com/5aYTWu67S2December 3, 2023
“No No No seriously, there is nothing wrong with the @OWGRltd,” Australian pro, Scott Hend, joked on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter).
It prompted a number of replies, one of which said: “There [sic] fake control system is being exposed for what it is. If Rahm goes to LIV he will force them to change it or they will become irrelevant.”
Hend, a three-time winner on the DP Word Tour, then responded: “You know the majority of us Golf Professionals think its [sic] been irrelevant for some time now.”
Another user wrote: "Two of the most prestigious golf events in the world versus a 20 man exhibition field, there is something horribly wrong."
Some did point out, though, that the Hero World Challenge featured a supremely strong field with more talent than the Australian and South African Opens.
Six of the world's top-10 - including eventual winner and World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and World No.4 Viktor Hovland - teed it up.
Further questions are likely to be asked as to how Woods, who finished 18th out of a field of 20, could jump 430 spots in the World Ranking.
Woods’ place in the 2024 Masters field is guaranteed, given that the 47-year-old is a previous winner, and he’s unlikely to lose any sleep over his current position in the OWGR.
Niemann, however, despite travelling Down Under to play in Australia’s two biggest events – the Australian PGA, where he finished fifth, and the Australian Open, which he won – did not improve his World Ranking sufficiently to break into the world’s top 50 and earn a place at the Masters.
The Chilean pro, who plies his trade on LIV, has enjoyed a fruitful fortnight in Australia, but his OWGR only moved from 87 to 59.
Even with playing in his native Chile Open next week, he’s unlikely to secure an invitation to the 2024 Masters before the year is out.
