'Laughable, Laughable, Laughable' - Jon Rahm Slams OWGR Changes

Jon Rahm has launched an assault on the Official Workd Golf Rankings (OWGR), brandishing the recent changes to strength of field calculations as "laughable". 

The Spaniard is in town for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship that features a stellar cast of star names to bring the curtain down on the 2022 Race to Dubai.

However, despite seven of the world's top-25 players set to commence battle over the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, because it's a limited-field event, the winner will receive just 21.8 points, a fraction of the 46 Collin Morikawa picked up last year under the old system. 

In contrast, the top-ranked player at the PGA Tour's RSM Classic this week is Seamus Power, who sits 30th, yet the winner on Sunday in Sea Island will walk away with 37 points. This is because the new system, launched in August, rewards larger field sizes, something which Rahm lambasted as a "mistake" as he sat beside DP World Tour chief and one of eight OWGR committee members, Keith Pelley.

"I'm going to be as blunt as I can. I think the OWGR right now is laughable," he said. "Laughable, laughable, laughable. The fact that the RSM doesn't have any of the top 25 in the world but has more points than this event where we have seven of the top 25 is laughable.

"The fact that Wentworth [for the BMW PGA Championship] had fewer points than Napa [for that week’s Fortinet Championship] is laughable.

"Look, I understand what they are trying to do with the depth of field but having the best players in the world automatically makes the tournament better. I don't care what their system says. I think they’ve made a mistake. They have devalued the value of the better players.

"Would you rather win a tournament when you have the No. 1 player in the world or because you have the 30th? I think it's more valuable if you're beating the best players in the world. I think a lot of people would agree and it should reflect that."

The Spaniard is not the only player to criticise the OWGR update that has been detrimental to European and International-based circuits. An Asian Tour event in September was labelled "a joke" for offering just 2.28 points to winner Travis Smyth, while no shortage of LIV players have questioned the legitimacy of the world rankings.

The breakaway series is currently waiting to hear if its "two-pronged approach" to acquiring OWGR recognition will prove successful. On paper, the upstart circuit appears to fall short in meeting a number of criteria, although Rahm believes a compromise could be reached to ensure players like Dustin Johnson aren't completely frozen out.

"LIV does have some incredible players and to say that Dustin hasn’t been one of the best players this year would be a mistake," he added. "So I think LIV players could be awarded. I just don't know the math, how we could work it out, and I don't know if they necessarily deserve 100 per cent of the points.

"I think a lot of people are against them having world ranking points. I'm not necessarily against it but there should be adjustments."

Rahm's comments on the OWGR are a far cry from the sentiments echoed the previous day by World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who believes it is a fairer way to determine the best players in the world. The Spaniard did, however, reserve praise for the Northern Irishman's stance on LIV.

McIlroy has arguably been its most vocal critic and called for Greg Norman to quit as LIV CEO so peace talks to end golf's civil war could begin.

"It's great to see somebody with his platform take a stand as he did, whether you agree with it or not, he's taken a stand on what he believes in and that's it. I think it's great," Rahm said.

"He's had a lot of input. He's been on the board of the PGA Tour and tried to make a change. To be honest, with how long those meetings are and how much as players we talk to each other to play as good as he has, is pretty remarkable.

"In this profession, we are all basically CEOs of our own little golf company, and now he has invested in so much more. Again, the role he's had in both is quite incredible."