Who does not know about the rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf? But there is a long list of players who have suffered a massive setback due to this rivalry. Irrespective of how good of a golfer they are, their Official World Golf Rankings have taken a massive hit. One such player is the former No. 1, Dustin Johnson. Despite being the most benefited LIV Golf player, he has been paying the price for leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. The man’s OWGR ranking is set to plummet just weeks before his appearance in the LIV Golf. After dropping off the list of the top 40 for the first time in 13 years, the player is expected to soon be out of the top 50 list.
Justin Thomas, who was once the PGA Tour’s No. 1 player, has been paying the price for joining Greg Norman’s LIV Golf. Dustin Johnson has been a victim of the monopoly that the PGA Tour is trying to sustain. In the last month of 2022, Dustin fell from the top 40 and is now on the verge of being kicked off the top 50 list.
As per the current OWGR ranking, the player is placed at the 50th position, which has happened to him for the first time since 2010. After signing with LIV Golf, Dustin has only been able to play two of the OWGR-sanctioned events. Johnson is expected to fall off the list after this week’s tournament. Even after spending the third longest spell in the first position for about 135 weeks straight.
The two-time Major champion has consistently been falling to new lows in terms of ranking. However, he is not the only victim of this ranking criteria. According to an article in Golf Monthly, Bryson DeChambeau has fallen out of the top 100 list this week.
Rory McIlroy has always been vocal about his point of view on people leaving PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Last year, on being asked about his opinion on the struggles of LIV Golf’s ranking. He said, “I certainly would want the best players in the world ranked accordingly.” But the rest of what he said, went in complete contradiction.
Rory further said, “I think if Dustin Johnson is somewhere around 100th in the world it’s not an accurate reflection of where he is in the game. But at the same time, you can’t make up your own rules.” Reiterating about the criteria, McIlroy further said, “I’ve not problem with them getting World Ranking points at all but you have to meet the criteria. If you don’t it’s hard to justify why you should have them.”
With so much prejudice against the LIV Golf, do you believe it will be the future of golf? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Source : essentiallysports
