Champion South African Louis Oosthuizen has lambasted the Official Golf World Rankings (OWGR) declaring the current system in ranking the mens pro game as a ‘joke!’
Oosthuizen, winner of the 2010 Open Championship and claiming 13 other tournaments around the world, is contesting this week’s rain-affected Alfred Dunhill Links Championship ranked a lowly 390th on the World Rankings having peaked at World No. 4 in capturing the 2013 Volvo Champions event in his beloved South Africa.
He was still ranked No. 15 in the world teeing-up in May last year ahead of the 2022 PGA Championship. However, since the first LIV event a few weeks later, Oosthuizen has played just eight OWGR counting events, and the last being a T23rd finish in this year’s 151st Open.
The last occasion the affable South African was ranked anywhere near No. 390 in the world was back in 2004, 19-years ago when the then 21-year-old finished runner-up at a Sunshine Tour event.
“There’s people who don’t want to see it happen but most of the golfing world just wants to see all of the best golfers in the world playing proper events, and with all the top players teeing-up in all the majors,” said Oosthuizen speaking to Irish Golfer Magazine
“Though the biggest thing they need to correct is what they are intending to do with the World Rankings because at the moment, the Rankings are a joke. So, that’s the only aspect of the men’s game they need to figure out”.
Then in speaking with Bunkered Magazine, Oosthuizen went onto say: “It’s not a world ranking system as it’s more a PGA Tour ranking than anything else.
“It’s ridiculous that, if you’re top 50 in the world on the PGA Tour and you play all those elevated events. I don’t see how you can get out of the top 50 in the world – even by playing poorly. If that’s a good system, I’m glad I’m not a part of it.
“It’s frustrating for everyone because you used to measure yourself on that and where you are. It’s not just being a LIV player. It’s being a South African player on the Sunshine Tour, being in Asia, all over the world, you’re not getting rankings now unless you’re playing PGA Tour.
“They do have the top players but it’s definitely not a fair system at the moment because you can’t tell me there’s 10 or 15 guys on LIV that aren’t in the top 50 or top 40. It’s got to be looked at.”
“The biggest reason you want world ranking points is to play in majors,” Oosthuizen added. “If each tour gets major spots for the order of merit every year, that’s the easiest way to have the top players from every tour playing in major championships.”
Of course, it must be argued that in turning to LIV Golf Oosthuizen and his colleagues knew there would be no OWGR points on offer in any of the LIV sanctioned events but that was some 17 months ago and times are changing, as we’ve been reading and it’s always worth noting comments from both sides of the men’s pro golf fence.
Oosthuizen is no stranger to competing in Scotland, making his debut in the 2003 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship while he’s teed-up this week for a first time in the event since 2018, and with event founder and fellow South African Johann Rupert as his amateur partner. However, it will always be his 2010 Open Championship success on the Old Course that he will be remembered.
“It was always my plan to come and play the Alfred Dunhill this year. It’s a tournament, and knowing Mr. Rupert so well, I did not want to miss,” Oosthuizen said to Irish Golfer Magazine
“I saw his comments earlier this week about the invitations he extended to likes of Dean (Burmester), Peter (Uihlein), Talor (Gooch), Thomas (Aiken) and myself and I fully agree with him as we have to get back to a scenario where everything in men’s pro golf eventually settles down.
“And as Mr. Rupert said it should be just about golf, and not about anything else. So, it’s good to be here in Scotland teeing-up in the Alfred Dunhill, and also returning to St. Andrews and again being reminded of the events here in July 2010.
“It’s been nice too to catch-up with his excellency from LIV Golf (Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saudi). Though I had to laugh seeing the name David Waterman on the entry list and someone mentioning he was a British poet that passed away last year. I thought, at the time, it could not be his excellency (smiling)”.
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