‘They’re delaying the inevitable’: DeChambeau hits out at OWGR decision

The LIV Golf players Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka criticised the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on Friday over its decision not to award ranking points for the LIV tournaments in Bangkok this weekend and Jeddah next week.

The Saudi Arabia-backed circuit this week formed an alliance with the little-known Mena Tour in a bid to fast-track its quest for ranking points but quickly learned that, for now, its players will remain ineligible.

“They’re delaying the inevitable. We’ve hit every mark in their criteria, so for us not to get points is kind of crazy with having the top – at least I believe we have the top players in the world,” former US Open champion DeChambeau said after the opening round of the Bangkok Invitational.

“We’re going to keep dropping down in the rankings to where our points won’t ever matter. That’s what they’re trying to accomplish, and I hope that people can see right through that rather than believe the lies that they’ve been told.“

DeChambeau, who has dropped to 48th in the rankings from a career-high of fourth, added that he hopes OWGR retroactively awards ranking points for this week’s LIV Golf event.

Without the ability to earn ranking points, which carry significant weight when it comes to gaining entry into golf’s four majors, those competing on LIV Golf will ultimately be at risk of missing the blue-riband events.

This week the Mena Tour, which holds events across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia and is among the eligible tours listed on the OWGR website, announced its partnership with LIV Golf.

The Mena Tour felt the alliance would allow LIV Golf players to start earning ranking points this week but OWGR said it would need to review changes to the circuit’s structure before