“That’s not what golfers think about” - Geoff Ogilvy shares his unconventional perspective towards OWGR points

Modified Oct 11, 2023 12:13 GMT

Geoff Ogilvy feels players don't think much about the rankings (Image via Dan Peled/Golffile)

Amid the OWGR-LIV fiasco, Australian veteran Geoff Ogilvy has shared an interesting perspective on rankings. According to Ogilvy, golfers focus more on playing well than on their rankings when competing in events.

LIV Golf's application for ranking points was rejected by the OWGR because the circuit didn't meet the criteria. Disappointed with the announcement, the Saudi-backed circuit called out the OWGR for being unfair.

Geoff Ogilvy's write-up in Golf Australia has come at an interesting time, as ranking points have been a hot topic in golf media. He mentioned that he never cared about where he stood in the rankings throughout his career.

"It would have been nice to reach No.1 – No.3 was my highest ever – and I know I was in the top 10 for a bit. But I didn’t really care. Not much anyway. When it came to the rankings, I took the view that I knew what I knew," he said.

He cited the example of Ernie Els, whom he felt was just behind Tiger Wood in one phase, irrespective of where he stood in the rankings. Ogilvy added:

"If someone had said to me there were six players better than Ernie I would just have laughed."

According to the former US Open champion, players cared more about their position on the money list and whether they could qualify for the bigger events. He added that players knew who the best players were, and official rankings were primarily for generating excitement among fans and media.

Geoff Ogilvy provided the example of Justin Thomas, who has been struggling with his form this season and has fallen in the rankings. He further stated:

"I can’t imagine he [Thomas] is teeing-up at events focusing on how he needs to play well to improve his world ranking. That’s not what golfers think about. We’re all just trying to play as well as we can."

The 47-year-old Aussie golfer competed in 12 PGA Tour events this season and failed to make a cut in seven of them. His best result this season came at the Peurto Rico Open where he finished T11.

Here's a look at his performance in the 2022–23 PGA Tour season:

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: 74
The Honda Classic: 80
Puerto Rico Open: T11
Corales Puntacana Championship: CUT
Zurich Classic of New Orleans: CUT
Mexico Open at Vidanta: T39
AT&T Byron Nelson: CUT
RBC Canadian Open: CUT
John Deere Classic: T42
Barbasol Championship: CUT
Barracuda Championship: CUT
Fortinet Championship: CUT

How many titles has Geoff Ogilvy won in his career? Golfer's career wins explored

Ogilvy clinched 12 professional titles in his career, including eight PGA Tour wins. His biggest triumph came at the 2006 US Open when he beat Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, and Colin Montgomerie by a one-stroke margin to win his only major tournament.

Geoff Ogilvy also won both the Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Open, the two marquee events on the PGA Tour of Australia.

Here are all the titles won by Geoff Ogilvy:

PGA Tour