Scottie Scheffler hit rock bottom at the Ryder Cup, losing four of his five matches, making him the second world No. 1 after Jim Furyk in 2018 to record such a performance. But guess what? Despite that rough run, Scottie still holds the title of the No. 1 golfer in the world.

However, the entire ranking system is being called into question by Johnny Wunder, host of Fully Equipped Golf, and Golf.com’s director of equipment. In an Instagram reel while talking to Jake Morrow and Maddi MacClurg, Wunder went, “I think, and I’ll say it out loud, I think the official world golf ranking is the biggest sham on the planet.

I think it’s not representative of anything that matters. Like, is Scottie Scheffler the number one golfer in the world? Is Russell Henley the third-best golfer in the world?”

Calling Russell Henley the third-best golfer in the world is a major reach. In 2025, he’s played 19 events with just 1 win and 2 runner-up finishes, earning $14.7 million and ranking 2nd in the FedEx Cup—strong, but not elite.

Most tellingly, he didn’t even qualify automatically for the Ryder Cup team, a key benchmark for top-tier golfers. Henley’s consistency is impressive, but he’s nowhere near the dominance of true world-class talents like Scottie Scheffler or Jon Rahm.

He continues, “Jon Rahm’s not even in like the top 10 or top 20. Jon Rahm is the second-best golfer in the world by a mile, the number two golfer in the world.” And this made Jake Morrow chime in with something very controversial.

“Extremely hot take, but I firmly do believe this,” Morrow started. “I don’t think Scottie Scheffler is world number one if Rahm doesn’t leave the PGA Tour.” He did clarify exactly what he meant by that. “For Scottie to do what he did, like especially the six in a row, that doesn’t happen if John Rahm is against him,” Morrow answered.

C’mon, Jon Rahm definitely doesn’t deserve to be sitting at No. 73. In the OWGR, that number feels almost insulting for someone who’s been dominating in LIV Golf, where he’s ranked No. 1.

Let’s not forget his jaw-dropping moments—like that unbelievable hole-in-one during a practice round at the 2020 Masters. His tee shot on the 16th skipped across the water multiple times before rolling straight into the cup, one of the most viral shots in golf history.

And in 2025, Rahm proved his greatness yet again, finishing as the season-long Individual Champion for the second year in a row. He fired an incredible 11-under 60 in Indianapolis to edge out Joaquin Niemann and clinch back-to-back titles.

The OWGR system, however, tells a very different story. It awards points based on field strength, event format, and number of participants—heavily favoring traditional 72-hole events on recognized tours.

Since LIV Golf uses 54-hole, no-cut formats with smaller fields, it doesn’t fit the OWGR’s eligibility criteria. OWGR Chairman Peter Dawson has even admitted that these format differences “make it impossible to rank LIV players equitably alongside those from other tours.”

Even Tiger Woods has voiced his frustration. In a 2022 Golf Monthly interview, he called the Official World Golf Ranking “a flawed system,” criticizing how it favors PGA Tour events over stronger international fields.

Woods pointed out how Dubai’s DP World Tour Championship offered fewer points than the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic despite featuring more top players. He also recalled staying World No. 1 without playing for a year under an older version of the system—and urged officials to fix the rankings to reflect true global competition.

Jon Rahm left the PGA Tour in December 2023 to join LIV Golf. He cited the windfall financial incentives being the driver for his decision. But that decision has come with consequences.

Golf point system leaves John Rahm tottering

Since its inception in 2022, LIV Golf has not received recognition from the OWGR, which means that, regardless of how lucrative events Jon Rahm wins, his victories don’t contribute to the OWGR points.

Well, there is no doubt about the level of competition. The Saudi-based league has taken away iconic golfers like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith.

But when the points from the LIV Golf Tour wins just don’t add to the OWGR, what happens? Well, exactly what’s happened to Jon Rahm? In his 8-year professional career since he first reached the top 10, the 30-year-old has dropped to his lowest ranking of 73, as of September 28, 2025. In his 2nd year as a pro, in 2017, he broke into the top 10; that’s how good he was.

He would have made a formidable and thrilling rivalry with Scottie Scheffler. However, LIV Golf continues to be kept at bay by the OWGR, due to its format differences with the traditional Tours at present, which means Rahm’s ranking is likely to drop further. As of now, Rahm is the world’s number one. 71 (October 4, 2025), but we will have to see how things unfold.