We seek to create a ranking system that is reflection of player strength across the world of men's professional golf. The current Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), despite being updated last summer, remains controversial. We felt the time was right to innovate how the top players in pro golf are ranked. Rankings are and always will be ripe for debate, and we do not suggest the SIWGR is perfect – but we’re offering a fresh approach that we believe will add new perspective, data and analysis to the discussion.

We have focused on addressing a few fundamental flaws in OWGR, namely:

• OWGR’s too-long trail that includes tournament results going as far back as 24 months, whereas the SI rankings reflect the importance of measuring recent results over the most immediate 12 months. Our focus is on measuring and ranking the best players in the world right now.

• The OWGR did not include metrics or player performance from all pro tours, whereas the SI rankings leverage data and a proprietary formula that is inclusive of the competition across all tours.

We believe the SI rankings are more current, robust and comprehensive, and are a better reflection of the current state of pro golf competition. We concede that no ranking is perfect, and are humble enough to acknowledge that these rankings will continue to be updated and evolve. To that end, we are nimble, able to make modifications and adjustments that improve the product, and don't need the approval of multiple governing bodies who may have different self-interests.

The SI formula allows the data to do the work, with no preconceived biases toward tour status. Our model is built with more immediacy in the calculations – we use 12 months of player performance data instead of the OWGR’s 24. We also created a metric to measure performance across all tours. And along the way, we intend to incorporate full transparency and clarity in how we arrive at our results.

We differ from the current system in many ways, and you can learn about our calculations here(LINK). A brief summary:

• The SIWGR uses 12 months of player data instead of the OWGR’s 24.

• To be even more attuned to a player’s current state of play, SIWGR places greater emphasis on a player’s most recent 4 months of results, with points depreciating for events older than 4 months and again for events older than 8 months.

• Players on all major men’s professional tours are eligible to earn points in the SIWGR.

• To adjust for the strength of field the SIWGR incorporates a new data point, Distance Per Shot (DPS), as an alternative to the OWGR’s Strokes Gained, as Strokes Gained is not used in all men’s professional tours.

A few other highlights:

Majors:

• The SIWGR provides more points for success in majors than any other events (similar to the OWGR).

• Each player who makes a cut is awarded a set number of SIWGR points for their finishing position.

• Data Table

Non-majors:

• SIWGR uses an equitable calculation that analyzes the Strength of Field (SOF) and allocates a number of SIWGR points for the event.

• SIWGR then uses a transparent percentage allocation for a player’s finishing position

• The OWGR’s allocation of event points is currently inconsistent

• The OWGR’s allocation of points for finishing position is also inconsistent

• Data Table

Yes, LIV golfers will receive points in the SIWGR. In the current calculation, LIV players have received SIWGR points for the events they played in 2022 and they will continue to accrue points in 2023.

No, we treat all tours the same way, using the same objective metrics to assign points. We aim to be fair, transparent and objective – to ignore one pro tour would be biased, and so would artificially boosting one tour’s points. We simply run the data and let the numbers speak for themselves. As you look at our initial top 100 list, you’ll see there are several LIV golfers who rank higher on our list than the current OWGR, while several other LIV players rank lower on the SIWGR compared to the OWGR. Similarly, some PGA Tour players are ranked differently than the current OWGR.

Also, it’s worth noting that the OWGR is chaired by Peter Dawson, the former Chief Executive of the R&A, and includes representatives from the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, the International Federation of PGA Tours, plus one rep from each of the four majors. The OWGR has said it received LIV Golf’s application for inclusion last July, but LIV golfers remain excluded from earning points for Liv Golf tournaments and remain in limbo as they slowly plummet in the OWGR, which will soon affect their eligibility to compete in some of the most prestigious events in the world, including the majors.

The SIWGR is independently operated and objectively administered by … us…leveraging objective data from all tours and ingested into Golf Intelligence, our partner on this project.

There will be a fresh ranking out every Monday.

A summary:

• Players will be awarded SIWGR points based on how they finish in events

• The player’s overall SIWGR is the average of all points over the past 12 months

• Player’s points will be valued based on how recent the events are:

  • For events 0-4 months old, players receive 100% of value

  • For events 5-8 months old, players receive 70% of value

  • For events 9-12 months old, players receive 40% of value

• The players ranking is the sum of all the points divided by the number of played events

Note: The SIWGR uses the same divisor method as OWGR for players but we use a minimum divisor of 20 events and a max of 27, as we’re only interested in the most recent 12 months of results, rather than the OWGR’s 24.

In non-majors:

• In events with a cut, all players who finish all four rounds will receive SIWGR points.

• In events without a cut, the top 75% of all finishers will receive ranking points.

  • Percent Allocations

    • 17.5% of an event’s points available to the winner

    • 10% for second

    • A sliding scale for the remaining players

More detail on the calculation here.

The SI ranking may feature bigger changes from week to week compared to the OWGR, but that directly correlates to what we are trying to accomplish – a more current and better measurement and ranking of the best players in the world right now. We felt narrowing the data to 12 months of results and weighing the most recent four months above all else, helped us identify who is playing the best golf…now.

Course distance matters. The OWGR doesn’t include distance in their Strokes Gained Total calculations. SI and Golf Intelligence incorporate distance as an important metric to create the SIWGR. DPS, combined with dynamic course adjustments, is an objective calculation that factors in course length and difficulty. Plus, any golfer can understand it.

The SIWGR follows the same methodology as the World Handicap System (WHS) instead of Strokes Gained Total. The WHS is used by about 15 million golfer’s worldwide to maintain a handicap to play in competitive events. WHS uses a percentage of a golfer’s last 20 scores based on differential, a calculation that blends a golfer’s handicap index, course rating, slope rating, and playing conditions adjustment.

The dynamic course adjustment used in the SIWGR uses thousands of historical scores from each course to account for difficulty. SI uses the best of the latest 40 scores, course adjusted, to calculate the player’s DPS for the SIWGR. SI and Golf Intelligence believe DPS is the best way to rank all golfers around the world because it uses the lowest common denominators for every round of golf: distance played and score.

Let’s summarize the main calculations being used to rate and rank the golfers in the world:

• Distance Per Shot (DPS) - A formula to rank all the golfers in the world while using scores and distance information. To account for course difficulty, DPS uses dynamic course adjustments.

• World Handicap System (WHS) - Uses scores and manually collected course ratings that are primarily used for competitive play.

• Strokes Gained (SG) - Used by professionals and gamblers to identify strengths and weaknesses of a player's game. SG is calculated by capturing detailed shot distance and surface information of every shot.

• Strokes Gained Total (SGT) - Used by the OWGR to summarize all professional golfers using only score and course data information, but no distance. OWGR uses regression and simultaneous equations to calculate Strokes Gained Total.

So What is the Difference between Sports Illustrated’s Distance Per Shot and the OWGR’s Strokes Gained - Total?

SIWGR’s DPS is using scores, distance, and course adjustments. The OWGR’s SGT uses scores and course data. Both organizations’ rankings are accurate, but use different approaches to get their rankings. There are always multiple ways to accomplish a data-driven task.

The players ranked in the SIWGR Top 100 list is not dramatically different from the current OWGR rankings, even with a completely different method of calculating each event. For example, both the OWGR and the SIWGR had Jon Rahm passing Scottie Scheffler for No. 1 after his win at Riviera. Most golf fans would agree that Rahm is the best player in the world at this moment.

With the goal of including all pro events and amateurs in the SIWGR, we are bringing our experience from the handicap system to let the data tell the story with a simple to understand calculation that works for all golfers.

On the surface, distance per shot is simple – it’s a golfer’s total score divided by the course yardage. So, a round of 70 at a 7,000-yard course would be a base DPS score of 100. To account for different degrees of course difficulty, the SIWGR formula also includes a “dynamic course adjustment” because not all rounds of 70 on 7,000-yard courses are created equal. Golf Intelligence has proprietary data on thousands of courses and actual player results that allocate points for better play on more difficult courses. Distance Per Shot is a new data point for the golf ranking community, but it’s a smart way to evaluate play, and as people study it, we think they'll agree.

Distance Per Shot (Player DPS)

• Data collection includes the golf course and the tees played. Professional players usually play from the longest set of tees and amateurs will select tees based on their ability. Associated with each set of tees is the yardage per hole and the total yardage of all 18 holes.

• Once the round is complete, scores are recorded along with the tees (yardage) played.

• Golf Intelligence will use the yardage played divided by the total score to calculate the golfer's DPS.

• How many scores are used?

  • For a golfer to be “current”, the golfer must have 20 scores within the past year.

  • A max of 40 scores will be used within the past year.

  • The best 40% of those scores will be used to calculate the golfer’s DPS

Individual Course DPS

• Each Course’s DPS is calculated for each set of tees and yardage.

• Golf Intelligence has a large database of golf scores and we use the scores to determine the Course DPS for each course and set of tees. So for example, GI will have 3,000 scores that have been played from the “White” tees that measure 6,300 yards. GI will use the best 750 scores and take an average to calculate the Course DPS for play from the White Tees.

Dynamic Course Adjustment

• The dynamic course adjustment is used to adjust DPS values to balance hard and easy courses.

• Golf Intelligence has historical data for each course for each set of tees. Golf Intelligence then uses that data to calculate the Course DPS for each set of tees.

• That Course DPS is then used to compare to all the courses the pros play to calculate the dynamic course adjustment.

• The adjustment is dynamic because it will change as new data becomes available from each course.

Calculation for Adjusted DPS

• This calculation is done for each score

• Player DPS <PLUS> Course Adjustment <MINUS> Course DPS <EQUALS> Adjusted DPS

• GI will then use the best 40% of Adjusted DPS values and average them for the golfer’s Adjusted DPS value that will be used in the ranking

Player DPS: Here’s a specific example: Marty Zecheng won The Ascendant at TPC Colorado in 2022, a Korn Ferry event, with a DPS of over 118. TPC Colorado stretches to 7,995 yards. Marty shot 69, 67, 68, and 67. His DPS for the event was 118 ( (7995x4) / (69 + 67 + 68 + 67) ).

Course Adjustment: TPC Colorado is a long course played at elevation and SIWGR’s Course Adjustment accounts for courses like this. The average DPS for TPC Colorado is 116, but the average Korn Ferry DPS is 106.

Course DPS: All scores for the Korn Ferry event played at TPC Colorado will be Course Adjusted by 10 to 106 (116 - 106).

Adjusted DPS: Marty’s DPS will be Course Adjusted down by 10 to 108 (instead of 118).

With DPS calculations and millions of rounds of scoring data, Golf Intelligence lets the data tell the story. The golf world is ready for an equitable and transparent ranking system. The SIWGR achieves those objectives.

The SOF is used to allocate SIWGR points for the event. The SIGWR point allocation is then divided among the players finishing the event

If the event has players ranked in the SIGWR top 100, the SOF is calculated by allocating points for each top-100 player:

• 9 points for a player ranked from 1-25

• 6 points for a player ranked from 26-50

• 3.5 points for a player ranked from 51-100

If there are no players ranked in the Top 100, then the SOF is calculated by using the DPS of the best 50 players in the field. The DPS for the best 50 players is added and totaled. The SOF DPS Table is used to determine the SI World Golf Ranking points available for the event.

Eventually, yes, all golfers will be included. We started with a men’s list because those rankings have been such a flashpoint of recent controversy.

You’re right: any number can be used. For our list, 75% of a no-cut field will earn SIWGR points. We felt the bigger flaws came when entire fields received ranking points just for showing up. So, 100% of the golfers in an event getting points was not equitable. We opted for 75%.

This can be evaluated many ways, but we believe that both a 54- or 72-hole match is enough to qualify for rankings points. Some systems even require fewer holes, for example in match play, with just two players competing over 18 holes, 18 holes is seen as enough of a test to be considered a fair competition. For the 54- vs. 72-hole argument, we chose not to consider extended stamina as a key factor for pro tour golfers. In the NFL, when one team’s defense is on the field for 40 of the 60 minutes, stamina is a question. We believe that an 18-, 36-, 54- or 72-hole match is a fair enough competition for our ranking system, as long as the players know the number of holes at the start of the event, which of course they do.

Yes. The World Handicap System© uses Course Ratings© to adjust for course difficulty. We do something similar, which we call a Course Adjustment. Every course in the world will be adjusted based on data. Our data partner, Golf Intelligence, has hundreds of millions of scores from golfers at every skill level, and that data will be used to create an “adjustment” for the course being played. So yes, shooting a 70 at, say, Winged Foot (a difficult course) from the tees at 7,000 yards, will positively affect a player’s DPS value much more than say, a 70 at a 7,000-yard an local municipal (an easier course) , even though they are scores from the same distance.  

When there are SIWGR top 100 players in a tournament field, we do not use DPS as a factor in the Strength of Field. When you have players ranked in the top 100, SOF alone overrides the DPS. Like the current OWGR, this does make our calculations a bit slanted to the top 100 golfers.