Lee Westwood blasts golf ranking system after jumping 3,759 spots at The Open

Lee Westwood is certainly happy to crack the top 40 at The Open Championship this past weekend, but he took that moment to blast the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). 

Westwood, the veteran golfer who plays on the LIV Golf tour, now sits No. 930 on the OWGR list after being tied 34th at Royal Portrush shot him up 3,759 spots. 

Westwood can now say that he is finally back ahead of his son, Sam, who sits 2,759th on the list as he plays on a mini-tour. But that right there is exactly why Westwood has qualms with the OWGR’s way of ranking golfers. 

“I think that just proves that without world ranking points it makes a bit of a mockery of the system,” Westwood said on Wednesday at LIV Golf’s UK event, per ESPN. 

Westwood is among many LIV Golf stars who believe their events should be included within the OWGR. However, the league’s latest application is currently under review. 

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They had initially tried to get accreditation when the league began in 2022, but it was denied. As a result, LIV golfers cannot earn themselves OWGR points unless they play in major championships or international tour events. 

Take Dustin Johnson, for example. He is only 571st on the list, but that’s due to finishing tied 23rd at The Open. Johnson was once the world’s number one golfer for 135 weeks, but since joining LIV, he has plummeted in standings. 

Only Bryson DeChambeau (16th) and Tyrrell Hatton (21st) are in the top 50 in the OWGR rankings. Other LIV Golf stars like Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed don’t crack that upper echelon despite their solid play. 

“I think mainly it relates back to wanting the best players in the major championships, not wanting this conversation where there’s a few people missing out because we don’t get world ranking points on LIV,” Westwood said as he loved seeing LIV Golf submit another application. 

Hatton has been vocal about his fellow LIV Golf players getting credited for their work in the league, especially when it comes to qualifying for major tournaments.

“I think there’s a lot of guys out here that you certainly want to be playing in majors. If there’s a better pathway for that for us, then that’s brilliant,” Hatton said.

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