Since its inception, LIV Golf has been attempting to receive Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. On Tuesday, that finally came true. Players who finish in the top ten at LIV events will receive points, while all PGA Tour players who make the cut earn points. Shortly after losing Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, the league was looking for a bigger win. LIV Golf issued a scathing statement about the OWGR decision.

“We acknowledge this long-overdue moment of recognition, which affirms the fundamental principle that performance on the course should matter, regardless of where the competition takes place,” a statement from the league reads. “However, this outcome is unprecedented. Under these rules, finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th. Limiting points to only the top 10 finshers disporportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside the threshold, as well as emerging talent working to establish themselves on the world stage – precisely the players a fair and meritocratic ranking system is designed to recognize.”

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The LIV Golf statement is true. This is a unique setup. But there are plenty of reasons that the OWGR denied the league points for many years, and are now limiting the points.

According to the OWGR's website, a league must “embrace non-discriminatory practices and not exclude any players based on the grounds of nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation or political beliefs.” Recently, LIV Golf removed Jinichiro Kozuma from Japan from the Ironheads because the team was renamed the Korean Golf Club.

The OWGR standards continue, stating that tours seeking eligibility must “conduct an open annual Qualifying School and/or an open pre-qualifying event for each tournament and/or otherwise have open access.” LIV Golf creates its field by paying players guaranteed contracts, not through a qualification system.