Cameron Smith cops new blow as Greg Norman backs down from LIV Golf pursuit
Greg Norman and the LIV Golf players have taken a blow after the decision.
Cameron Smith will most likely continue to fall down world rankings after Greg Norman and LIV Golf abandoned their pursuit to have their own tour points counted towards the official rankings. Smith, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and co have seen their Official World Golf Ranking damaged since opting to join breakaway franchise LIV Golf.
Smith was once ranked World No.2 in 2022 after winning The Open, but since joining LIV Golf he has fallen to World No.50. Only four LIV players are in the top 50. Jon Rahm only joined LIV at the end of last year and remains as World No.3 after a brilliant 2023 season.
Tyrell Hatton only joined LIV Golf in January and is currently 17th. Koepka won the PGA Championship last year and has managed to remain in 30th. Smith rounds out the player in the top 50, despite his own superb form. And after more than a year of lobbying for LIV Golf points to count towards the rankings, Norman has confirmed the franchise would no longer seek a solution with no progress being made.
“We have made significant efforts to fight for you and ensure your accomplishments are recognised within the existing ranking system,” Norman wrote to the players. “Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us.”
Talor Gooch sounds off on PGA Tour
Last year's LIV Golf individual winner Talor Gooch is one of the form players in the world, but recently hit out at the tour because he wasn't granted an invitation to the Masters because of his ranking. Gooch no longer receives rankings points having joined LIV Golf and he has fallen behind the required amount needed to automatically qualify for the major. Gooch is currently outside the top 400 players in the world.
He claimed the field would be diminished at the Masters with a number of the best players in the world not taking part due to the ranking debacle. And Norman confirmed to the players the battle has now been ended, which will mean top players will continue to miss out at the majors.
"The rankings are structured to penalize anyone who has not played regularly on an 'Eligible Tour' with the field ratings disproportionately rewarding play on the PGA Tour," Norman wrote in the letter to LIV Golf players. "Even if LIV Golf events were immediately awarded points, the OWGR system is designed such that it would be functionally impossible for you to regain positions close to the summit of the ranking, where so many of you were prior to joining LIV, and deserve to remain based on your performance."
Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.