"Someone needs to be held accountable" Rahm and Westwood hit out at OWGR issues

LIV Golf League player Lee Westwood says "someone needs to be held accountable" as the debate over world ranking points rages on.

Ben Smith's picture
Tue, 10 Jan 2023
"Someone needs to be held accountable" Rahm and Westwood hit out at OWGR issues

Lee Westwood, who participates in LIV Golf League events, says "someone needs to be held accountable" as the debate over world ranking points rages on. 

In case the news escaped you, Jon Rahm this week questioned the methodology of how world ranking points are calculated. 

The Spaniard is in red hot form and he captured his third win in five starts at the PGA Tour's first stop of 2023 in Hawaii. 

Rahm claimed the Sentry Tournament of Champions after wiping out a stunned Collin Morikawa's seven-stroke advantage in Kapalua. 

Despite picking up $2.7m, Rahm was still aggrieved over where he sits in the Official World Golf Rankings. 

Both Rahm and Morikawa were "victims" once again as neither player moved spots in the rankings. 

Rahm claimed his home open and the DP World Tour Championship in the latter half of last year but he has failed to surpass Patrick Cantlay. 

As for Morikawa, he failed to leapfrog Viktor Hovland to move into the world's top-10.

Golf stat man @Nosferatu pointed out that the "two big performers are missing out big time". 

This is where the aforementioned former World No.1 Westwood joined the discussion. 

He wrote: 

"It's not life or death but someone needs to be held accountable."

Westwood joined the breakaway tour last June. 

Whether or not the league should be accredited by the OWGR has been a source of constant debate. 

Some LIV players appear to be taking the stance that the decision not to grant the tour ranking points emanates out of bitterness from some board members. 

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley sit on the board of the OWGR. 

In his most recent comments Monahan said golf's civil war was now about "product versus product". 

He also made a decision about Tiger Woods' PIP cash. 

What did Rahm say about his world ranking? 

In the immediate aftermath of his victory in Hawaii Rahm made the claim he thinks he's been the best player in the world for months. 

His views contrast significantly to that of current World No.1 Rory McIlroy. 

Rahm previously described the situation as "laughable". 

Rahm told the media:

"Since the playoffs... I've won three times and I don't even get close to him. So I'm trying to understand what's going on," Rahm said.
"Had they not changed the world ranking points [system] I would have been pretty damn close [to world No 1] right now. But in my mind, I feel like since August I've been the best player in the world.
"Earlier in the year clearly Scottie [Scheffler] was that player, then Rory [McIlroy] was that player, and I feel like right now it's been me. Anybody, any given year can get a hot three, four months and get to that spot."

Next page: Nine players who changed their mind about LIV Golf

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