Golf
Which LIV Golf Player Got the Biggest Bump in the Official World Golf Ranking at the Masters?
Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and ed Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting. Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes. In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke's work has appeared on The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.
Get to know Luke Norris betterPublished10 Apr 2023
All in all, the folks at Masters.
While the PGA Tour ultimately won this battle as Jon Rahm claimed his second major championship, LIV Golf took two of the top three spots as Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka tied for second. Mickelson shot a brilliant 7-under 65 in the final round, while Koepka went the other way with a 3-over 75.
And with Patrick Reed firing a 4-under 68 to get himself into a tie for fourth, LIV Golf took three of the top six spots. So, again, I’d say the folks at LIV Golf have to be feeling pretty good.
Did all 18 who qualified have a great week? Certainly not. Kevin Na and Louis Oosthuizen were forced to withdraw. And Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Jason Kokrak, and Bubba Watson missed the cut. Collectively, however, Greg Norman has to be pleased.
So let’s get to the reason we’re here today.
It’s well known that LIV Golf events don’t yet receive Official World Golf Ranking points — and maybe never will if changes aren’t made. What that means is that these major championships are essentially the only time these guys can truly improve their standing. Sure, they get points whenever they decide to tee it up on the Asian Tour, but those events don’t carry much weight.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at how every LIV Golf player to tee it up at the Masters shifted in the Official World Golf Ranking.
How every LIV Golf player who appeared in the Masters moved in the OWGR
As you’ve probably guessed, the biggest jumps in the OWGR by those in LIV Golf came from those top finishers.
Patrick Reed jumped 25 spots, moving from No. 70 to No. 45. Brooks Koepka jumped 79 spots, moving from No. 118 to No. 39. And Phil Mickelson jumped a ridiculous 353 spots, moving from No. 425 to No. 72.
Here’s a look at how much every LIV Golf player moved in the Official World Golf Ranking following the Masters.
| Player | Masters Finish | Current Ranking |
Last Week’s Ranking |
Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Smith | T34 | No. 5 | No. 6 | +1 |
| Joaquin Niemann | T16 | No. 24 | No. 25 | +1 |
| Abraham Ancer | T39 | No. 35 | No. 31 | -4 |
| Brooks Koepka | T2 | No. 39 | No. 118 | +79 |
| Thomas Pieters | T48 | No. 43 | No. 44 | +1 |
| Patrick Reed | T4 | No. 45 | No. 70 | +25 |
| Mito Pereira | T43 | No. 54 | No. 53 | -1 |
| Talor Gooch | T34 | No. 56 | No. 58 | +2 |
| Harold Varner III | T29 | No. 59 | No. 60 | +1 |
| Dustin Johnson | T48 | No. 70 | No. 69 | -1 |
| Phil Mickelson | T2 | No. 72 | No. 425 | +353 |
| Jason Kokrak | CUT | No. 93 | No. 87 | -6 |
| Kevin Na | WD | No. 101 | No. 96 | -5 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | WD | No. 127 | No. 120 | -7 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | CUT | No. 162 | No. 155 | -7 |
| Sergio Garcia | CUT | No. 166 | No. 161 | -5 |
| Charl Schwartzel | T50 | No. 196 | No. 214 | +18 |
| Bubba Watson | CUT | No. 227 | No. 222 | -5 |
