“In my opinion, that's their own fault” - Justin Thomas dismisses LIV golfers’ attempt to get OWGR points

The LIV Golf series successfully completed its fifth event in Chicago last week. The latest leg of the Saudi-backed series' inaugural season came amid major discussions over the Official World Golf Rankings system. As of now, LIV Golf events are not included in the points system, which has led the series’ top players to grow impatient over the same.

LIV golfers on Tuesday penned a letter to the Official World Golf Rankings governing board chairman, Peter Dawson, demanding their addition to the system. Forty-eight players from the newly introduced series signed a letter appealing to officials to add them to the ranking system. However, the action seems to have incited criticism from some PGA Tour backers, including former World No.1 Justin Thomas.

LIV Golf is currently the strongest rival to the PGA Tour. It is arguably the biggest tour in the world in terms of the prize purse. However, LIV golfers still can’t earn Official World Golf Rankings points and this has sent them into worry. While the Saudi-backed series’ players are now demanding their inclusion in the points system, golfer Justin Thomas thinks that they only have themselves to blame.

Speaking ahead of the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina, Thomas slammed LIV and its players. Thomas said that he doesn’t get why the rebel players were getting upset. He said that the LIV Golf series’ current condition was inevitable and that players were taking a gamble on it. Commenting on the players’ letter to the OWGR chairman, Thomas said that the complainants should accept their fate.

“I mean, I don't understand. It's very obvious and written right there in front of them. They just naturally want what's best for them, just like the decision they made to go there.”

Thomas went on to state that he understood why the players wanted a place in the ranking points. However, he was unapologetic when adding that LIV defectors shouldn’t be given the points.

“Hey, if I was doing the same situation, I would want it, but that doesn't necessarily make it right… The governing bodies have created a system for a reason, and that's to try to create the best system possible to determine the best players in the world… Now, yeah, is it going to be skewed because some of the top players aren't going to be in there? Yes. But that's their own fault for making the decision they made, and they knew very, very well going into it there's a good chance they won't have world ranking points, and they took that risk… In my opinion, that's their own fault.”

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LIV golfers write to OWGR demanding ranking points

It is pertinent to note that 48 LIV golfers recently sent a co-signed letter to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson demanding ranking points for the league. Making their case to the officials, the players termed the existing system as being "invalid" without them. Rebel League players stated that the new tour has "earned its place" in the golf system and was worthy of ranking points.

The letter read:

“An OWGR without LIV would be incomplete and inaccurate, the equivalent of leaving Belgium, Argentina, and England out of the FIFA rankings… Some 23 tours are integrated into the OWGR universe, and LIV has earned its place among them. Four LIV golfers have held the number-one position on the OWGR. LIV’s roster includes 21 of the last 51 winners of the four majors. The level of competition at the average LIV event is at least equal to that at the average PGA Tour event. We know because we’ve played in both.”

A copy of the letter circulated online, which showed that the players even went to lengths to accuse the PGA Tour. The letter claimed that four of the eight members of the governing body were connected to the American circuit, which is painting "LIV Golf as an antagonist." However, the OWGR chairman is yet to react to the co-signed letter. The governing body also hasn’t set a timetable for its decision.