OWGR makes changes related to limited-field events
The Official World Golf Ranking announced “enhancements” on Thursday that will award more points for top finishes at limited-field events beginning next year.
The new “points distribution curve” for tournaments with 80 players or less (which would likely include the Tour’s signature events) will award approximately 21 percent of an event’s total world-ranking points to the winner, that’s up from the current distribution curve that awards 17 to 18 percent to the winner.
The ranking also announced the addition of a “multi-win benefit” for players who win more than once in a 52-week ranking window. Players with multiple victories in that window will receive a 70-percent points bonus (with a cap of four ranking points).
“Based on extensive analysis following the changes implemented in August 2022, we recognized these two opportunities to further enhance the [world ranking] and to accurately evaluate performances of the world’s participating players on all eligible tours,” said Peter Dawson, the ranking’s chairman. “Adjustments to the ranking are made after careful consideration, and we are confident that today’s updates will better position the [ranking] for the future.”
In further changes, the bottom 15 percent of those no-cut, limited fields will receive no OWGR points (season-ending or playoff events that don’t have a cut, like the PGA Tour’s three postseason tournaments, will continue to award points to the entire field).
For match play, players losing in the first round or winning no matches in pool play, will not receive points.
The multi-win benefit was created “to more quickly identify emerging talent” with the best example of this being Ludvig Åberg, who won the DP World Tour’s Omega European Masters in early September shortly after turning pro and added his second victory in November at the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic. The bonus will allow high-performing players a chance to climb the ranking faster.
According to data provided by the ranking, there have been 62 winners of at least two events and 39 winners of three or more events since 2019, in a given 52-week window.