The Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) is a system used to evaluate the performance levels of male professional golfers. It was established in 1986 and is supported by four major championships and six professional golf tours, which include the PGA Tour, European Tour, Asian Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, Japan Golf Tour, and the Sunshine Tour.
How are the Golf World Rankings calculated?
The system used to calculate the rankings can be intricate. Points are awarded to golfers based on their performance and the quality of the event they participate in. These points stay on a player’s tally for two years but diminish on a sliding scale of 13 weeks, giving more importance to recent success. A player’s points tally is determined by dividing the total points by the number of events they have played in over a two-year period, with a minimum of 40 events required to obtain a ranking. The World Golf Rankings are updated every Monday.
How the OWGR changed in 2022
Following a comprehensive review, the Official World Golf Ranking underwent a transformation in 2022. Notable changes include the new system issuing ranking points to all players who make the cut in a tournament utilizing a strength of field rating. This new approach evaluates the performance of every player in the tournament, not just those in the top 200. Moreover, pro tours will no longer receive extra points for “flagship events.” Major championships will continue to award 100 points. The new system came into effect on August 14, 2022, and with changes implemented at the end of 2023.
In December of the same year, an OWGR release announced the application of a new points distribution curve to official OWGR events with 80 players or fewer. This curve would give a higher percentage of points to top finishers. Additionally, a multi-win benefit was introduced, providing a 60% bonus for players who win for a second time within a 52-week period and a 70% bonus for those with three or more wins in that duration.
Men’s World Golf Rankings: Top 10
World No 1: Scottie Scheffler
World No 2: Rory McIlroy
World No 3: Wyndham Clark
World No 4: Jon Rahm
World No 5: Xander Schauffele
World No 6: Ludvig Aberg
World No 7: Viktor Hovland
World No 8: Patrick Cantlay
World No 9: Max Homa
World No 10: Brian Harman
Women’s World Golf Rankings: Top 10
World No 1: Nelly Korda
World No 2: Lilia Vu
World No 3: Celine Boutier
World No 4: Ruoning Yin
World No 5: Brooke Henderson
World No 6: Minjee Lee
World No 7: Jin Young Ko
World No 8: Charley Hull
World No 9: Lydia Ko
World No 10: Hyo-Joo Kim
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