One of the biggest battles that LIV Golf has faced is getting official world ranking points for its players.

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Whether shotgun starts, 54-hole events or whatever the reason, players such as Dustin Johnson have tumbled down the OWGR list despite winning in Boston and finishing runner-up at Bedminster and Chicago, in fields containing previous major winners Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith amongst others.

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The former world number one is now ranked 30 and falling, despite finishing 24th at the U.S Open and tied-sixth at the 150th British Open at St. Andrews, the only ‘official’ events he has taken part in since starting his spell with the Greg Norman-led tour.

It may not be this that prompted Mike Clayton to call for the system to be scrapped, but the Aussie ex-pro and now broadcaster, wasn’t holding back with his thoughts on what he sees as a pointless and biased system of determining the ‘best’.

Over the past few months, more PGA Tour players offered the thought that ranking points should be awarded to the rebel tour, as long as they satisfy the ‘criteria’.

Both Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland have recently back the opinion of inclusivity with caveats, with the Norwegian saying, “I don’t think it’s right to give them an exemption to just get points overnight. They obviously have to follow the process, whatever the process might be.”

Of course, not giving points to such stars affects their qualification for the majors, and Clayton has a firmer opinion, telling Golf Monthly:

“Get rid of them. They matter in tennis because they determine who plays who but are completely irrelevant in golf. It wouldn’t be so hard to come up with a better criteria for selecting Major fields.”

He continued, “I’m playing Devil’s Advocate a bit but the rankings began in 1986 – I think that’s right – as a marketing exercise/venture between IMG and Sony. The money list controls the vast majority of players’ careers and lives – not the ranking. Obviously top 50 is important for Majors, but it’d be easy to come up with other criteria for picking Major fields.”

If not the official list, what does Clayton believe the qualifying aspects should be?

“Top 40 PGA Tour, top 20 DP World Tour, top five to 10 LIV, top two Japan. Winners of big tournaments – take your pick. Canadian Open, Australian, British PGA, Irish Open, Memorial, Players… winners past 10 years.

Masters can do what they want.”

There can’t be much doubt that Rory McIlroy is the deserved current world number one.

After defending his RBC Candian Open, he finished tied-fifth at the U.S Open and won the Tour Championship from six shots behind the then-number one, Scottie Scheffler.

This ‘season’, the Irishman’s form figures are T2/4/T4 before again winning back-to-back, this time at the CJ Cup at Congaree, when with every possibility, he could have been chasing two, three or four in-a-row, having had chances at all of his most recent tournaments.

Best of the lot he may be, but how far ahead of DJ et al would he be if they awarded ranking points all round?

Mike Clayton suggests not worrying about it and getting the best of all of them together.

It’s hard to argue.

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