How the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) Works

After recent changes to the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), many fans and even players find the system a bit confusing. In this article, we explain exactly how the OWGR works, how golfers earn points, and the key changes you need to know about.

What is the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR)?

The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is a system used to measure the performance of professional golfers. Players accumulate points over a rolling two-year period, and these points determine their position in the rankings.

A golfer’s ranking is calculated by dividing their total points by the number of events they’ve played, producing an average score.

To highlight recent performance, points from each tournament are fully counted for 13 weeks. After that, they gradually decrease in equal amounts for the next 91 weeks of the two-year cycle.

How Do Players Earn OWGR Points?

To qualify for a world ranking, a player must compete in at least 40 tournaments over a two-year period.

Currently, golfers can only earn OWGR points by playing on one of the 23 eligible professional tours. Since LIV Golf is not recognized as an eligible tour, its players cannot earn points.

Major Championships, the Olympic Games, and the World Cup of Golf also award points. Team events, however, do not.

Rankings are updated weekly, but because the system considers results from the past two years, improvement in form doesn’t always result in an immediate leap up the leaderboard.

Each player also receives a Strokes Gained (SG) world rating based on their performance in stroke-play events. This rating is adjusted for course difficulty. A player’s SG rating helps determine how many performance points they contribute to a tournament. The total of all players’ points sets the field rating for that event, replacing the old “strength of field” measure.

As a result, every golfer in the field influences the event’s value, and all players who make the cut now earn ranking points.

Recent Changes to the OWGR

On January 1, 2024, several changes were introduced:

• More points for winners in limited-field events: The winner of PGA Tour signature events now receives 21% of available points, up from 17–18%.

• No points for bottom finishers in no-cut events: The lowest 15% of the field will no longer earn points.

• Multi-win boost: Players who win multiple events in the same calendar year now receive increased point bonuses — 60% more for two wins, and 70% more for three.

Records in the OWGR

• The ranking began in 1986, with Bernhard Langer as the first World No. 1.

• Only 25 golfers have reached No. 1 in more than 35 years.

• Tiger Woods holds multiple records:

  • Most consecutive weeks at No. 1: 281

  • Most total weeks at No. 1: 683

  • Youngest ever World No. 1 (21 years, 167 days in 1997)

  • Most years ending as World No. 1 (8 times)

• Woods also spent 906 weeks in the top 10 — far ahead of Ernie Els (788) and Phil Mickelson (775).

• Phil Mickelson holds the record for the most weeks at No. 2 (270) without reaching No. 1.

• Tom Lehman has the shortest reign at the top — just one week in April 1997.

• Three golfers held the No. 1 spot for an entire year: Nick Faldo (1993), Greg Norman (1996), and Tiger Woods (multiple years).

• Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are the only players to become No. 1 without ever winning a Major.

• Vijay Singh is the oldest World No. 1 (42 years, 93 days). He was also the oldest player to appear in the OWGR top 10, at 46 years, 140 days.

• Sergio García became the youngest golfer to enter the top 10, at just 20 years, 7 days in 2000.