Jon Rahm has expressed indifference towards the current state of golf’s world ranking system, admitting he doesn’t know or care about his position ahead of the Masters.
The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) turned down LIV Golf’s request for eligible tour status in 2023, finding “no way” to accommodate it, and their stance remains unchanged. This decision has seen some of the sport’s elite, including major champions Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson, drop out of the top 100.
They now depend on winners’ exemptions to participate in the year’s four major tournaments. Players can still gain OWGR points through majors or by competing on the DP World Tour and Asian Tour, a path Sergio Garcia is increasingly taking.
Rahm himself had to fit in four DP World Tour events last year to maintain his card and Ryder Cup eligibility. Despite his ranking falling to 80th in the world, Rahm, speaking during Masters week, showed little concern for his ranking.
“Where am I in the world rankings at this point?” he joked. “Am I out of the top 100 yet? A couple weeks to go and I’ll be gone. I mean, I’m not going to say exactly a number, but I would still undoubtedly consider myself a top-10 player in the world. But it’s hard to tell nowadays.”
Rahm, who’s shown impressive form with LIV Golf by snagging the individual championship in his inaugural season and landing top 10 finishes in each event he’s played, sees his consistent performance boosting his confidence as he targets reclaiming the Green Jacket from Scottie Scheffler.
(Image: Getty Images)
“Consistency is something that I’ve always prided myself on,” he said. “I think last year the state of my game was being unfairly judged based on how I played here and at the PGA compared to how I really played throughout the whole year.
“While I understand why, I don’t think it was the most fair state of my game. It’s something — top 10 statistics is something I’ve always prided myself on. Right before joining LIV, I think I was still close to 50 percent worldwide in all my starts finishing top 10, which is something I pride myself on, and to keep it going that way is not easy.
“Now, I would say I would definitely trade a few of those — take a few of them away and hopefully add a couple more W’s. That would be nice because not in all of them I had a chance to win, and at the end of the day, that’s a goal.”
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
