LIV Golf, the Saudi Arabia-backed league, has earned eligibility for Official World Golf Ranking points ahead of its fifth season.
The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), which governs men's golf world rankings, announced Wednesday that it will award points to each LIV Golf tournament starting in the 2026 season. OWGR stated that the review process was conducted in a thorough and collaborative manner.
Previously, LIV Golf was denied world ranking points partly due to its 54-hole format, forcing its players to struggle to maintain eligibility for major championships. After the PGA Tour banned their participation, some players competed in European DP World Tour and Asian Tour events to earn ranking points. LIV Golf gained OWGR membership after implementing changes including expanding tournaments to 72 holes.
The notable aspects are the point allocation criteria and values. OWGR confirmed that only players finishing in the top 10 at each LIV Golf tournament will receive points in the 2026 season. The winner of this week's LIV Golf Riyadh tournament is expected to receive 23.1 points—higher than the 20.9 points awarded to the DP World Tour Qatar Masters champion, but less than half of the 59.3 points given to the PGA Tour Phoenix Open winner.
OWGR explained that LIV Golf does not meet some eligibility criteria set by the OWGR board. LIV Golf tournaments are classified as "small-field events," which is why only top-10 finishers receive points. OWGR cited the 57-player field size, which falls below the minimum threshold of 75 players, and the tournament format without a cut. The organization also noted that Kosma Jinichiro of Japan was excluded from the league due to his nationality during the transition of the Iron Heads team to Korean Golf Club, despite not being in the relegation zone.
"This membership process was extremely complex and challenging. We devoted tremendous time and effort over the seven months since LIV Golf submitted its application," OWGR Chairman Trevor Immelman of South Africa said.