Why Sergio Garcia is right that OWGR points really don't make prizes anymore

Sergio Garcia is right. Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points really 'aren't worth it anymore'. 

The words of the LIV Golf star and Ryder Cup legend during a sit-down interview with me. 

While many of us have realised this for some time now given LIV Golf events remain shut out of receiving valuable OWGR points, Garcia makes a valid point.

The damage has been done.

At least for those on LIV Golf who have to pay a visit to Wikipedia to see which unknowns are in front of them when the latest rankings get updated every Monday morning.

No matter what you think of LIV Golf in October 2024, put your hand up if you really believe Garcia, *checks OWGR website*, is the 395th best golfer on the planet? 

Yes that's right, players such as Oliver Lindell of Finland and South Africa's Ryan van Velzen are now positioned in front of the 2017 Masters champion and record Ryder Cup points scorer. 

If you are still looking, stop, van Velzen doesn't have even have a Wikipedia page. 

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Even two-time major champion and former World No.1 Dustin Johnson, who yes might prefer to be fishing on his boat and partying with his lover Paulina Gretzky, is currently sat on the 439th rung of the world ladder.

As it stands, only one LIV Golf player ranks inside in the top 10 in the OWGR with Bryson DeChambeau at ninth.

Jon Rahm is 14th, Tyrrell Hatton is 19th, and Brooks Koepka is 45th. 

Few on LIV Golf have ever asked to have the same amount of OWGR points as those available on the PGA Tour as a result of their limited field, shotgun start and 54-hole format. 

But some of form of points allocation has been required to avoid the current situation we are now faced with today. 

A broken world golf ranking system.

No wonder Garcia let off a big sigh when I brought up the topic of OWGR during my interview with him last week. 

"To be totally honest, I don't think world ranking points are worth it anymore for us," said Garcia. 

"Even if we got world ranking points now with the rankings we have, it just wouldn't really help the majority of us.

"We were looking at it and for someone to be able to stay in the top 50 in the world, you would probably have to win like 10 of the 14 tournaments on LIV Golf."

Why it's time the OWGR took a leaf out of Data Golf's book in 2025

Many golf fans now consider Data Golf to be a true reflection of where everyone stands in the professional game.

And I must admit, I'm in that camp too. 

I am completely done with the OWGR, at least until structural change has been made. 

Data Golf has Garcia at 22nd in the world as of 14 October 2024.

Rahm and Hatton are inside the top seven. 

That's a much fairer reflection of Garcia's world status, especially considering he pipped Hatton to a podium position on the LIV Golf League standings this season. 

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Garcia, 44, is arguably playing some of his best golf since he slipped on the famous Green Jacket more than seven years ago at Augusta.

He even told me that he considers his third-place finish on the LIV Golf standings could lend itself to some major starts in 2025. 

"Yeah I hope so... at the end of the day I just need to play like that and put myself there and hopefully the majors and the organisations that take care of the majors take a look at that and give it the credit it deserves," said Garcia.

"That's all I can control at the end of the day. If for whatever reason they don't think it's good enough then I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, I'll go and play in the qualifiers and just try to get in as many majors as I can.

"Obviously The Masters I always get to play but the others I will try to see what I have to do to qualify for them. That's all I can do."

Garcia is even considering the possibility of returning back to the DP World Tour in a bid to play in an 11th European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage in New York next September.

He's not even thinking about captaincy yet because he knows his game is still good enough to represent the blue and gold. 

Whether he chooses to sort out his 'outstanding sanctions' to be able to return to his 'home' Tour remains another story. 

Concessions will need to be made all round, Garcia told me. 

Garcia has until the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday 17 November to determine his Ryder Cup fate. 

Sergio Garcia tells GolfMagic that LIV Golf is in talks to sort out its OWGR headache

Garcia also disclosed some key information to me that LIV Golf are in talks for some 'other options' where being left out of the OWGR is concerned heading into the new season. 

"I think other options are being talked about at the moment and hopefully they come around in the very near future," Garcia told GolfMagic.

"At the end of the day, the governing bodies that run the majors want to have the best players in the world, and a lot of the guys are on the league with us, so they are going to have to figure something out to have the best players there."

The PGA of America did at least move a step in the right direction earlier this season when sending out some invites to LIV Golf players. 

Only the postman didn't turn up for Garcia. 

He has now missed out on competing in both The Open and US PGA the last two seasons, and quite frankly that is ridiculous.

Garcia has easily remained one of the top 50 players in the world over the past two years, and he is very much a top 25 player today. 

If you disagree with that then you clearly haven't been watching LIV Golf in 2024. 

Yes, you can argue all of the guys on LIV knew the possibility of being shut out of the world rankings when they first signed up in 2022, but many would have anticipated some sort of inclusion by now with which to avoid the OWGR from evolving into a total farce. 

That is ultimately the fault of the OWGR for refusing LIV Golf in the first place. 

Words have been exchanged between players and at times it's been ugly, but the pro game is moving forwards now and even Rory McIlroy knows it. 

How golf's governing bodies can even look at the current OWGR structure and believe it's the the truest indicator to determine the players that should or should not be competing in the majors is beyond me. 

You have to believe should a deal between the PGA Tour and PIF eventually be struck over the coming months, then a decision about what to do with the current OWGR format needs to be at the forefront of discussion whether a board of directors like it or not. 

Data Golf, as I say, has the current world ranking positions absolutely bang on.

I have scrutinised every player's position in the top 100 on Data Golf today, and I genuinely fail to pick holes in it. 

There's probably only a handful of their rankings you could argue are up for debate. 

The majors have always been a marker for measuring greatness in our sport, and we need to bring that back.

It can't go on like this anymore, and you most certainly can't have a major without Sergio Garcia in the field. Not at least in 2025. 

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