Jon Rahm has shared his thoughts after LIV Golf events were granted world ranking points for the first time, set to start in the 2026 season.
The move seemed long overdue, considering how odd it felt to see Jon Rahm sitting just inside the top 100 despite his form. It made sense for the OWGR to finally come to terms with LIV Golf.
But even with this update, many within LIV didn’t seem all that pleased. The system isn’t giving full recognition; instead, only players who finish inside the top 10 at LIV events will get points.
The OWGR pointed out that LIV still hasn’t addressed certain issues they’ve raised in the past. While it’s a step forward, there’s clearly still work to be done if full alignment is ever going to happen.
Jon Rahm responds to world ranking points being given to LIV Golf events
Scott O’Neil had already voiced his frustrations before the first round in Riyadh, and Rahm has echoed those sentiments, arguing that it’s unfair not to reward players finishing outside the top 10.
“Yeah, it’s fantastic that we’re getting points. It’s fantastic that we’re being recognized in a way,” he said.
Rahm highlighted the inconsistencies between how LIV and other tours are treated.
“With that said, I don’t like how we’re not being treated the same as every other tour. It seems like the rules that have been in place don’t really apply to us, with only 10 of us getting points. It doesn’t seem fair. The small fields out there throughout the course of the year, their players get full points.
He went on: “There’s work to be done. There’s work to be done. While it’s good for some people, it could cause some players to actually lose world ranking points instead of gaining them because finishing 11th is basically a missed cut and we’re already adding to the divisor.
But despite his complaints about how these changes have been introduced, Rahm did admit that LIV Golf had made a step forward with this development from the OWGR.
“But I’m thankful that I would say LIV Golf got their foot in the door and there’s a possibility for us to walk in the room and be recognized as a tour as we should be.”
How often Jon Rahm has finished outside the top 10 in his LIV Golf career
This debate isn’t going away any time soon.
LIV is unlikely to overhaul the team event structure, so it doesn’t look like they’ll be getting any more ranking points. But for Rahm, there are some positives to take away.
He’s been in excellent form since joining the league, having already picked up two individual titles.
In fact, he’s only missed out on a top-10 finish once during his time with LIV, that being an 11th place in Dallas last season.
Even though breaking back into the top 10 of the world rankings will be a tall order, these changes should at least move him closer to where he belongs in the current landscape of professional golf.
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