Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson both saw their position in the Official World Golf Ranking fall following last week’s Masters, in a missed opportunity for the LIV Golf stars.
Rahm and Johnson were back in action at Augusta National as past champions, with Rahm defending the title he won 12 months earlier. Both however failed to make their mark in the event, in a rare opportunity to gain some word ranking points. LIV continue to host events without OWGR points on offer, after being rejected by the ranking system last October.
Having competed without points on offer, those who play their golf on the Saudi-backed series have seen themselves tumble down the world rankings. Rahm remains the league’s highest-ranked player having only just made the switch for the 2024 campaign.
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The 2023 green jacket winner headed to Augusta last week ranked third in the world, having battled it out for the No. 1 spot with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in recent years. Rahm had been inside the top three since January 2023, but after three months with the breakaway league he has finally slipped to fourth.
The former world No. 1 would have headed into the Masters with every intention of making ground on Scheffler and McIlroy, but it was not to be. The European Ryder Cup star’s title defence was an underwhelming one, as he went on to finish a tie for 45th at nine-over-par for the week.
This saw Rahm overtaken by Xander Schauffele in the rankings, and amid his LIV loyalties, will have to wait until next month’s PGA Championship to get the chance to reclaim his spot inside the top-three. Uncharacteristically, Rahm admitted he did not feel ‘comfortable’ with his golf swing, posting his worst Augusta performance to date.
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Jon Rahm slipped outside the top-three in the world rankings
Jon Rahm slipped outside the top-three in the world rankings ( Image: Getty Images)
Things were even worse for fellow former champion and LIV star Johnson, who missed the 36-hole cut for just the third in his career at the Masters after an opening two rounds to forget. The 4Aces captain carded a six-over-par 78 in last Thursday’s opening round, before going one worse a day later.
This saw the American sit at 13-over-par after 36-holes, missing the cut by a whopping seven shots. Johnson has been with the LIV setup since its inception in June 2022, and has therefore felt the effects of the OWGR snub much more than Rahm. The former world No. 1 headed to the opening major of the year a world away from his former glory in 336th.
And things unsurprisingly got worse for Johnson, who drifted out to 343rd in the list following his missed cut. Like Rahm, the American star will get the chance to make up some ground at next month’s PGA Championship, with his Masters win in 2020 making him eligible to compete at the four flagship events until 2025.
