How Do the World Golf Rankings Work?
- Universal Acceptance. Golf’s major governing bodies, such as the United States Golf Association and the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, as well as hosts of the world’s four major championships, ...
- Formula. Golfers receive points based on their performance and the quality of their competition. ...
- Major Points. ...
- Qualifying. ...
How does the official World Golf Ranking work?
The Official World Golf Ranking began in 1986 and is a point-based system that recognizes the ranking of the world’s top golfers. At any given time, you can go to the OWGR website and view the current top-300 players. The OWGR is the foremost authority and ranking of professional golfers. The rankings aren't just for vanity's sake.
How is the PGA Tour ranking calculated?
Mar 18, 2020 · How the Official World Golf Ranking formula works The Official World Golf Ranking formula is based on a rolling 104-week (two-year) period, with players earning points toward their ranking based on...
Do you know how the world rankings are formulated?
A player’s points are divided by the number of tournaments in which he’s played during the previous two years, with a minimum of 40 tournaments necessary to achieve a …
Which tournaments are eligible for World Ranking points?
The rankings are based on how the players perform at events. Some players will climb up and fall down the rankings throughout the season. Top golf ranking systems Not one default system is the end all and be all for golf rankings. However, there are several popular ways to make sense of the field as the various events approach.

How many points does the BMW PGA Championship have?
The champion of the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour receives at least 64 points. By comparison, winning a standard PGA Tour or European Tour event earns the winner 24 points.
How long do golf points stay on a player's tally?
Points remain on a player’s tally for two years (up to a maximum of 52 events played during that time), but they’re reduced on a sliding scale after 13 weeks, so recent performances carry greater weight.
What does it mean to score well in golf?
Scoring well in the rankings is a golfer’s ticket to the world’s most prestigious tournaments. For example, the Masters accepts the top 50 players from the previous year’s rankings, plus the top 50 from the most recent rankings prior to the Masters.
Which golf clubs accept the World Golf Rankings?
Golf’s major governing bodies, such as the United States Golf Association and the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, as well as hosts of the world’s four major championships, including the Royal & Ancient Club and Augusta National Golf Club accept the World Golf Rankings.
When was the World Golf Rankings created?
The roots of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) stretch back to 1986. The OWGR’s purpose is to rank the best golfers from around the globe on their performances over two years.
Is there a default system for golf rankings?
Not one default system is the end all and be all for golf rankings. However, there are several popular ways to make sense of the field as the various events approach. Let’s walk through them and see what makes them tick.
How does the current Official World Golf Ranking work?
Each player earns World Ranking Points over a two year rolling period with the points awarded for each tournament maintained for a 13-week period to place greater weight on recent performances.
How are the points awarded at the biggest events?
The winner of each of the four major championships receives 100 points. A runner-up finish earns 60 while a third-place spot gives a player 40 points.
Why is cracking the top 50 especially important?
The top 50 players in the world are all eligible to compete in The Open, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Players. The world’s top 50 players also receive an invite to the Masters and all of the World Golf Championships.
What is the first stage of golf ranking?
The first stage in the calculation is the ranking of each event. For most events the ranking depends on the current world rankings of the participating golfers and the participation of the leading golfers from the "home tour".
What is a professional golfer's ranking?
In addition, rankings are the main criterion for selection for the International Team in the Presidents Cup, while ranking points are one of the qualification criteria for the European Ryder Cup team. The rankings are also used to help select the field for various other tournaments.
What is the official ranking of golf?
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of professional golfers. It was started in 1986. The rankings are based on a player's position in individual tournaments (i.e. not pairs or team events) over a "rolling" two-year period. New rankings are produced each week.
How to get a golfer's world ranking?
Simply put, a golfer's World Ranking is obtained by dividing their points total by the number of events they have played, which gives their average. Players are then ranked according to their average, highest first.
When did McCormack publish his rankings?
The system used to calculate the rankings was developed from McCormack's World Golf Rankings, which were published in his World of Professional Golf Annual from 1968 to 1985, although these were purely unofficial and not used for any wider purpose (such as inviting players to major tournaments).
When did the 3 year period change to 2 years?
In 1996, the three-year period was reduced to two years, with the current year now counting double and the minimum number of events reduced from 60 to 40. Points were extended to more of the field, beginning in 2000, and were no longer restricted to integer values.
Who was the first golfer to be ranked 1?
The first official ranking list was published prior to the Masters in April 1986, with Bernhard Langer the first world No. 1 ranked player, ahead of Seve Ballesteros, who had topped the unofficial McCormack's World Golf Rankings at the end of the previous year. Ballesteros briefly held the No. 1 spot after Langer, before Greg Norman 's worldwide success over the rest of that season made him the first year-end No. 1. Ballesteros took the No. 1 position back from Norman in 1987, and the pair exchanged the No. 1 position several times over the next two years. During 1990, Nick Faldo remained ranked just behind Norman despite winning three majors in two years (and more world ranking points in total than his rival, albeit having entered more events). As detailed in Mark McCormack's "World of Professional Golf 1991" annual, it was also the case (but less immediately apparent) that Norman had won a total of 14 events during the ranking period to Faldo's 10, and when the two had competed in the same tournament, had finished ahead of his rival 19 times to 11, so Norman's No. 1 position (on the new "average points" system) had some justification. Faldo did inherit the No. 1 ranking for the first time early in 1991.