Jon Rahm Takes Shot At World Golf Ranking System Despite Not Even Knowing LIV Was Still Trying To Gain Points

Published|Updated

You can add Jon Rahm to the ever-growing list of professional golfers - both on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf - who believe that the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system is out of whack.

LIV Golf officially ended its quest for OWGR points ahead of this week's event in Hong Kong with CEO Greg Norman notifying players that the circuit's application to be accepted into the system has officially been withdrawn. This withdrawal decision came six months after the OWGR officially denied the application.

LIV Golf waving the white flag makes it incredibly difficult for many of its players to qualify for major championships with OWGR points playing a key role in determining championship fields.

The news of LIV withdrawing its application came as a surprise to Rahm, currently the No. 3 ranked player in the world, given that he admitted that he didn't know the Saudi-backed circuit was still attempting to be recognized by OWGR.

The surprise element didn't stop him from lashing out at the system, however.

"I'm going to be honest, I didn't know they were still trying to get world ranking points. But the one thing I can say is I'm going to back to what I said two years ago in the DP World Tour Championship," Rahm said on Wednesday. "I didn't think it was a good system back then. And if anything, the more time that goes on, the more it proves to be wrong."

Jon Rahm Admits LIV Golf Money Has In Fact Changed His Life

(IMAGN/USA TODAY)

While it's more than fair to criticize the current OWGR setup with LIV's roster of players rivaling the top-tier talent on the PGA Tour, the question of ‘well, what should a new ranking system look like' is always the follow-up. 

Rahm bluntly stated that it's not the players' responsibility to figure that out. As he correctly pointed out, the players are there to entertain.

READ: LIV Golfers Need To Stop Whining, Austin Eckroat Plenty Cognizant, And A Terrible One And Done Run

"Our job shouldn't be to make the rules or impose the rules or enforce the rules. We're here to entertain," Rahm said. "It's the governing bodies' job to be doing this and be adaptable to the changing environment."

Rahm, the defending champ, along with 12 other LIV players will be teeing it up in the 2024 Masters in April. If we were to look ahead to the 2025 Masters, however, that list of 13 players in the field would more than likely shrink if the current system is still in place on top of exemptions running out for certain players in the field for this year's Masters.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.