PGA Tour’s Justin Thomas and LIV Golf’s Bubba Watson got involved in a heated discussion on Twitter over points issued in the new Official Golf World Rankings (OWGR) system.
Since the inception of LIV Golf, there have been intense debates and discussions concerning the rift between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed series. However, the new OWGR system was the recent hot topic of debate, with Thomas and Watson joining the discussion.
The debate started with a post from @flushingitgolf, questioning the OWGR system. The Twitter handle pointed out that the player who finished last in the Hero World Challenge would receive the same number of points as the player who finished third at the Indonesian Masters.
It is pertinent to note that the Hero World Challenge is an unofficial PGA Tour event. It also called the new system ‘unfair’ and said that it would crush the chances of international players getting into the majors.
Former world no. 1 Justin Thomas reacted to the tweet by saying:
“An event with 15ish (sorry not sure [of] the exact number) of the top 20 in the world? It’s all about the quality of the field. The new system is hurting events like this more than it does that. Like anything in golf, play well enough in big events and you’ll be rewarded.”
Thomas also wrote that he has no problem with LIV Golf getting accredited with OWGR points. But he asserted that the series does not fulfill the criteria of going through a 2-3 year process to earn OWGR points.
“I have no problem with them getting points. They just need to meet the criteria like everybody else. But they don’t in 7 of the 8 categories from my understanding. Every tour went thru the 2-3 year process to earn OWGR pts , no reason they shouldn’t be different, right?”
Bubba Watson joins the OWGR points fight against Justin Thomas
@JustinThomas34 @McbillsonBill @flushingitgolf It’s easy to repeat stuff others say without knowing the facts. Not all Tours are forced to wait for OWGR status. PGA Tour China was confirmed for points before playing its first event in 2014. OWGR has a long history of awarding points to 54-hole events too. #GoogleItItHappened
Watson then included a link to the OWGR website, which shows some of the tours that have been approved for 54-hole events and receive OWGR points.
Although Bubba Watson was right about his claims, fans opposed him and claimed that Watson is trying to support LIV Golf to get OWGR points. Watson resigned from the PGA Tour this year and joined hands with LIV Golf.
Previously, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy shared their views regarding the new ranking system. While Woods called it ‘flawed’, McIlroy found it ‘fair’.