In a monumental moment for the Saudi-backed league, LIV Golf were officially awarded World Golf Ranking Points for this season.
Ranking points are now allocated to the top-10 finishers in LIV events, meaning players can qualify for major championships, such as The Masters, by consistently performing on the tour.
Representatives from The Masters were on the board that made this decision, and Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley explained it before the 2026 event.
Augusta National Chairman says LIV Golf still has ‘issues’
Ridley hosted a press conference on the eve of the 90th Masters at Augusta National, and was asked to explain the decision to award LIV Golf OWGR points.
He responded in detail, “I wouldn’t say we had any particular influence on it other than the fact that Augusta National does have a seat on the board. I think what our interest is in that role is making sure that the integrity of the OWGR remains intact.
“An underlying certain purpose is to identify the best players in the world through the ranking system, which is very transparent, is very data driven.
“As it relates to LIV, the issues involved in LIV getting or not getting ranking points has been public in Trevor Immelman’s letter to LIV a while back. And several of the issues that were raised have been addressed, which resulted in LIV receiving limited points.
“They know what those issues are. Scott O’Neil has a copy of that letter, as I’m sure most of you do as well, and hopefully there will be efforts made to address those issues and allow them to receive more ranking points.
“The purpose of the system is to make sure the best players in the world have an opportunity to play in the best tournaments.”
Given the depth of quality among LIV Golf players, it seems fitting that the top 10 players receive points. The PGA Tour is a much deeper tour in terms of talent so LIV simply shouldn’t be on par. The OWGR got this one right.
Fred Ridley reveals stance on golf ball rollback
As technology in golf advances at an alarming rate, a golf ball rollback is imminent, aiming to rein in the distance pros can now generate. Some have declared this move pointless, saying the new ball won’t make any real difference, but Ridley supports the rollback.
He said that the integrity of Augusta is in danger unless technology is pulled back: “There’s always been quite a lot of agreement. My feeling on this subject is failure’s not an option. I think we need to continue to work together to come to some agreement.
“Tough issues like this require compromise, and I think there has been some compromise to date. There’s certainly commercial interests that are at play here, and we all know what those are, but at the same time, I think, if we can look at this from the standpoint — and it’s not just trying to — it’s not the good old days. That’s not what we’re trying to do.
“What we’re trying to do is to protect the integrity of what makes golf so great. I think I tried to articulate it in my comments, and that’s that it’s more than about just hitting prodigious drives.
“I talked to Jackson Herrington, one of our young amateurs, and he told me that yesterday he hit it over the bunker on 1 and 5, which is about a 325-yard carry, and one was into the wind.
“I’ve said that we can make changes, but there’s not much we can do to make changes, number one, unless we tear down the Eisenhower Cabin, and we’re not going to do that. We’ll make changes when we can, but I think it’s time to really address this issue. It’s been talked about for a long time.”
It’s clear that plenty of work needs to be done to get the new ball into the right window, but this is vitally important for the future of the game. It’s great to hear Ridley is completely behind this.
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