Jon Rahm outlines pathway to ranking points for LIV Golf
Exactly what could be different this time around remains unknown – with LIV Golf field sizes remaining roughly the same and still no cut in the league's 54-hole events – but Jon Rahm offered some suggestions when he spoke with the media Wednesday at the LIV event in Chicago.
'At least right now, there's a process to hopefully enter those world ranking points and at least get our foot in the door, and then once we're allowed, we can see what changes can be made to earn as many [points] as possible, keeping the integrity of what LIV Golf is about,' Rahm said. 'Examples of that would be, let's say with whatever we're doing currently we get 20 [world ranking] points. If you add a fourth round, you go to 25. Is that worth it, is that not worth it?
'If you add a cut, things like that. Right now with as little players as we have, I don't see a cut working very well, and with the teams I think it would be a little odd. But if the league were to expand and let's say you go to 15 teams [there are currently 13 teams], you have 60 players, now you can actually possibly make something work.'
Last month, Trevor Immelman, the chairman of the world ranking board, said in a statement 'the OWGR board is committed to a thorough evaluation process of all applications, and LIV's application will be reviewed in accordance with OWGR's criteria to ensure fairness, integrity and consistency.'
The need for world ranking points has grown since LIV Golf launched in the summer of 2022 when it had a dozen players ranked inside the top 50 in the world. Now the circuit has just two players, No. 16 Bryson DeChambeau and No. 22 Tyrrell Hatton, inside the top 50 and many of its original stars – like Brooks Koepka at 294th – have plummeted in the ranking.
The world ranking is one of the main pathways for players to qualify for the major championships and LIV Golf's lack of world ranking points have prompted some of the majors, like the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, to carve out exemptions into the biggest events for the breakaway circuit's top players.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
39 minutes ago
- NBC News
Ben Shelton rallies to beat Karen Khachanov in Toronto final
TORONTO — Ben Shelton won the National Bank Open on Thursday night for the third and biggest title of his young career, rallying to beat 11th -seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3). The 22-year-old Shelton, seeded fourth, became the first American winner in the Masters 1000 hard-court event since Andy Roddick in 2003. Shelton also won on hard courts in Tokyo in 2023 and on clay in Houston last year. "It's a surreal feeling," Shelton said. "It's been a long week, not an easy path to the final. My best tennis came out when it mattered most. I was clutch, I persevered, I was resilient. All the qualities I like to see in myself." Shelton will move up a spot to a career-high sixth in the world. He beat Khachanov a night after topping second-seeded Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American semifinal match. "I feel like it was a perfect storm for me this week," Shelton said. "A lot of tight matches and long matches. I played some of the best tennis that I've played this year." The winner had seven of his 16 aces in the third set, and ended the match by winning 14 consecutive points on serve. He held at love to force the final-set tiebreaker. "He went for his shots, trusted the work that he's put in and he executed," said Bryan Shelton, his father and coach. "Sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. But it's always nice when you can leave a tournament and hold a trophy up in your hands because it's rare." The 29-year-old Khachanov has seven career victories — all on hard courts. In the semifinals, he survived a match point in another third-set tiebreaker against top-seeded Alexander Zverev. "It's a positive, a great tournament, a great run," Khachanov said. "I had some great battles and great wins against top guys." Top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the 2023 winner in Toronto — and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz skipped the expanded event as they prepare the U.S. Open. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool won the all-English doubles final, saving four match points in a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 13-11 victory over Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski. The second-seeded Wimbledon champions have won 19 straight matches.
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
Why Ben Shelton will break the American men's tennis Grand Slam drought
The incomprehensible 22-year Grand Slam drought in American men's tennis will end soon. Maybe not this year, maybe not even next. But it's going to happen, and we're not going to have to wait too much longer. Ben Shelton is going to do it. The 22-year old from Atlanta via the University of Florida won his first Masters 1000-level title on Thursday night at the Canadian Open, beating Karen Khachanov 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 in a terrific final. Sure, you can put some asterisks on the significance of this tournament – namely, that No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz opted to take an extra week off after meeting in both the French Open and Wimbledon finals. Those two have dominated the Grand Slams for the last two years, and Shelton – to this point – has yet to prove he belongs in their company. But what Shelton has proven this summer will serve him extremely well in the chase to remove Andy Roddick's 2003 U.S. Open title from the genre of frustrating tennis trivia. At this moment, Shelton has a very good argument as the third-best player in the world. If not him, then who? It's not Alexander Zverev, who is technically No. 3 in the rankings but hasn't felt like a threat to win anything important since Sinner embarrassed him in the Australian Open final back in January. It's hard to make an argument for Taylor Fritz, the highest-ranked American at No. 4, especially after Shelton dismantled him 6-4, 6-3 in the Toronto semifinals and showed that he simply has a higher gear of athleticism and shot-making when he's playing well. Jack Draper? The British lad is 29-9 on the year with his own Masters 1000 title this year at Indian Wells. But his record in the Slams doesn't measure up to Shelton's and hasn't shown the same level of physical durability, particularly in a best-of-five setting. Some would argue it's still Novak Djokovic, and they may have a point. Despite slipping to No. 7 in the world, one spot behind Shelton, he's made the semifinals in all three Slams this year and he's still Novak freaking Djokovic. But at a physically diminished 38 and barely playing a real schedule anymore (he's skipping both big North American hard court tournaments leading into the U.S. Open), it would take everything breaking his way to win his 25th Grand Slam. At the moment, nobody else is really a factor. So here's the overall takeaway: Yes, Sinner and Alcaraz are going to win most of the big titles over the next few years as long as they stay healthy, much like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the mid-2000s. But they're not going to meet in every Slam final. Injuries happen, bad days happen. Especially at the U.S. Open, we often see players who have had long, grueling years struggle to find the energy it takes to deal with the heat and all the other unique elements of playing in New York. And when it's inevitably someone besides Alcaraz or Sinner hoisting a big trophy at some point, who's most likely to pick up the pieces? It's Shelton – and on a hard court, it's not particularly close. Though Canada was just his third title, and by far his biggest since turning pro three years ago, we are seeing some signs now that he's headed for a potentially special career. This win wasn't a fluke. Rather, it was the culmination of a summer in which Shelton's game is breaking through in ways we haven't really seen before. He's always had the elements to be a top player: Huge lefty serve, dynamic athleticism, weaponry with the forehand and better-than-average net skills. He's also shown a flair for stepping up at the Grand Slams with two semifinals and two quarterfinals in just 12 appearances. By any measure, a 30-12 record at the Slams is exceptional for a young player. But Shelton's father and coach, Bryan Shelton, has stressed repeatedly that Ben isn't a finished product. And their approach to addressing his weaknesses has been targeted and methodical. The eye test, particularly since Shelton made his run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals (where Sinner stopped him in three close sets), says that it's starting to pay off in areas like decision-making, consistency from the baseline and deployment of his backhand slice to change the rhythm of points. Even on return, where the advanced stats show that Shelton is one of the three worst players in the top-50, there were some interesting numbers in Toronto. Across his five matches, Shelton won 36.2% of return points. While that's basically average for a top-50 player, it's significantly better than the 32% he's posted this year. It's also worth noting that he broke Fritz and Brandon Nakashima – two of the seven hardest guys on tour to break – three times each. It was much the same story the week before in Washington. Despite throwing in a semifinal stinker against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Shelton won 38.3 percent of return points across four matches. If that's real improvement and not just statistical noise, Shelton is a threat to win the U.S. Open this year. And if he can merely become an above-average returner on a regular basis, a Grand Slam title is probably going to happen at some point. Shelton's first Masters title was a major breakthrough in his career, and at 22 made him the youngest American to do so since Roddick at the very same tournament in 2003. Guess what happened next? A few weeks later, he lit up New York and became a U.S. Open champion. The way Shelton played this week, don't be surprised if he follows the same path to a Grand Slam title.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Where is 2025 Ryder Cup? What to know about Bethpage Black
The 2025 Ryder Cup is just over a month away. This prestigious golf gathering, featuring the best players from the United States and Europe, will take place for the first time at iconic Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, from Sept. 26-28. The Bethpage Black Course, a creation of legendary architect A.W. Tillinghast, has been a part of golf history since its opening in 1936. Nestled in suburban Long Island, Bethpage State Park features five 18-hole regulation golf courses, including the esteemed Black Course. It will be the first time the Ryder Cup graces its greens, but the course has previously hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009. The 2019 PGA Championship was also held at Bethpage Black, with Brooks Koepka emerging as the tournament champion. Here is what to know ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup. When and where is the 2025 Ryder Cup? The 2025 Ryder Cup will be held from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28th at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. How to watch the 2025 Ryder Cup The 2025 Ryder Cup TV schedule has not yet been announced, but NBC has the rights to the event.
