How are the Golf Rankings Calculated?

Golf is often seen as a deceptively simple sport—just hit the ball straight, right? But mastering the golf swing requires intense precision, consistency, and mental control, making it one of the most difficult sports to truly excel at. Despite the challenge, a select group of men and women have refined their skills to compete at the professional level.

These pros earn impressive incomes through tournament victories, endorsements, and commercial deals. But with such a small margin separating top players in terms of talent, golf has developed a formal ranking system to help identify the very best. It’s a system closely followed by fans—and increasingly by sports bettors looking for an edge.

In this guide from MyTopSportsbooks, we’ll break down how golf ranks players, how golf betting odds work and how golf rankings help with golf betting. We’ll also touch on the golf handicap system, which reflects a player’s scoring ability relative to course difficulty, as defined by the USGA. For example, a scratch golfer—someone with a handicap index of zero—receives no extra strokes on their scorecard. These players typically shoot par or better and play from the back tees, which increases the yardage and difficulty of each hole.

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What Are Golf Rankings?

Power rankings carry the day in team sports and can be applied to individual participant sports. Some rankings are just a top-to-bottom listing based on ability, while others take a deeper dive into the statistics that drive the sport. A casual review of power rankings for golf can set the futures market or the odds board for sportsbooks.

The advanced metric for golf rankings assigns a numerical value for each golfer, and then they can be sorted from top to bottom. Players can ascend the ranking list and fall down the list over a regular golf season.

What are the Top Golf Ranking Systems?

World Golf Rankings

Many of golf’s top players play on the PGA, governed by the United States Golf Association, while others play on the European tour like Rory McIlroy who plays both tours, so it is hard to get a handle on how to rank the best players in the world. The Official World Golf Rankings were created in 1986 to sort out the details to determine who are the best players in the world.

Player performance is measured over a two-year period, and players are awarded points for their play in sanctioned tournaments. Once the player has points, they are divided by the number of tournaments played, with the rolling average ranked against other players.

Not all golf tournaments are created equal, and some tournaments are weighted more heavily than others. Rankings are updated on a weekly basis, based on 104 weeks of play, so hot and cold trends are slow to identify.

FedExCup Standings

The FedExCup was created to declare a golf season champion through a playoff system. Golfers play in tournaments throughout the season and earn points. Like the OWGR system, some tournaments are weighted more heavily than others. This is based on prestige and player participation, not course difficulty.

After every event, points are awarded, and the top 125 golfers qualify for a three-tournament playoff. As the tourneys play out, the field is cut and the last 30 golfers standing play in the final for all the marbles. Tiger Woods won the first FedEXCup back in 2007, and Scottie Scheffler won last year’s edition.

How Does Money Affect the Rankings?

Golfers compete for cash prizes, and tournaments pay golfers who manage to survive a four-day tournament. Money leaders tend to have high rankings as their total says they have won tournaments or been close to the top in most events they enter.

It is a good barometer for players – the PGA season starts just after New Year and runs through fall – players who aren’t active in the early going have a chance to reach the top of the rankings, winning tournaments with big payouts.

How Do Golf Betting Odds Work?

With every tour stop, online sportsbooks and oddsmakers will release the odds for golfers who can win the tourney. Prop bets, head-to-head matchups, top-five and top-ten finishes and other bets. You can even find a futures bet for the Masters with odds based on the current rankings. When oddsmakers release the odds board for a tournament, it says how they view a specific player’s ability to win the tournament.

As bets are placed, some golfers will rise as favorites, while others will fall; when handicapping golf, you are looking for discrepancies and a chance to exploit them. Not all sportsbook operators will have the same odds; you need to shop around for the value bet that will pay you based on the discrepancies you find.

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Important Stats Worth Researching

Cuts Made
Strokes Gained
Fairways in Regulation
Greens in Regulation
Distance
Accuracy
Up and Down

All these technical details have an impact on a golfer’s ranking, and they need to be consistent in all areas. Should they have a weak spot, it will drag them down the rankings. You can’t go low unless you hit on all the aforementioned cylinders.

The course rating system that determines the difficulty of a golf course can’t be ignored. Think about the relative difficulty of the US Open, USGA makes the difficulty of the course hard and slope rating on the greens, course slope rating on the fairways and the bunkers pose the biggest challenges for entrants.

The tournament makes many a professional a bogey golfer, and the bogey rating for the tournament is through the roof. A score of even sometimes doesn’t win the tourney because there are no scratch golfers in the field.

Do Golf Rankings Help With Betting?

The ranking can influence your golf handicapping decision-making. The power rankings you review can be a quick guide to a tournament field and futures bets for major tournaments, like the Player’s Championship. But remember, past performance is an excellent indicator of how a golfer might fare in the next tourney.

Are they playing well now? Have they played the course well that is the next tour stop? Some golfer’s games aren’t geared for specific course layouts, and recent successes or failures on the course can have an adverse mental effect on the golfer. When swinging a club, confidence is everything, and if confidence is waning, the golfer’s game will fade. Three other factors can affect your betting strategy – tee times, pairings and the weather.

Golf Rankings FAQs

Find answers to common questions bettors like you have when researching which sportsbook to join.

What are the rankings in golf?

In golf, rankings are used to determine the best players in the world based on their performance in international tournaments. The official ranking system used in professional golf is called the World Golf Rankings. This ranking is based on a point system that takes into account a player’s performance over the past two years in major golf tournaments (such as the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship) as well as other international events. The player with the highest number of points is ranked #1, and the rest of the players are ranked accordingly. The World Golf Rankings are considered to be the most accurate and comprehensive ranking system for professional golfers.

How does PGA Tour Ranking work?

The PGA Tour Ranking is a system that assigns points to golfers based on their performance in PGA Tour events. The points are awarded based on a combination of factors such as the strength of the field, the player’s finish position, and the number of rounds played. The player with the most points at the end of the season is ranked as the number one player on the Tour. As of July 2025, Scottie Scheffler is the number one-ranked golfer.

The ranking system is used to determine eligibility for certain events and to seed players in tournaments. The top 125 players on the ranking list qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which consists of four events that culminate in the Tour Championship. Additionally, the top 50 players on the list are eligible to play in the Masters Tournament, one of golf’s most prestigious events.

The ranking system is updated weekly based on results from PGA Tour events. Points are awarded on a sliding scale, with more points given to players who finish higher up the leaderboard and to those who perform well in more significant events. Points are also adjusted over time to reflect the strength of the field and the current level of play of the golfers.

Overall, the PGA Tour Ranking is a robust and transparent system that ensures the best players are recognized and rewarded for their performances on the Tour.

Who decides golf world ranking points?

Golf’s major governing bodies, such as the United States and the Professional Golfers’ Association of America the USGA, and hosts of the world’s four major championships, including the Royal & Ancient Club and Augusta National Golf Club, accept the World Golf Rankings.

How does the ranking system work?

Eligible tournaments from the leading professional Eligible Golf Tours around the world are included in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Major Championships, World Golf Championships, Olympic Golf Competition, and the World Cup of Golf. Team events are not eligible for inclusion over 104 weeks.

What is a total field rating?

In golf, the total field rating is a measure used to determine the overall strength of the players competing in a given tournament. It considers the rankings and recent performances of all participants to help assess the difficulty and competitiveness of the event. This rating can influence the number of points awarded in systems like the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

Is the LIV tournament affecting golf rankings?

No, the LIV tournament is not affecting golf rankings. The LIV tournament, also known as the Social Links Cup, is a unique golf tournament that combines virtual gameplay and real-life golfing skills. It is not recognized by any official golf associations or governing bodies and therefore does not impact players’ world golf rankings or any other official rankings.

As of June 2025, the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has begun reviewing modified criteria to potentially include LIV Golf events in the ranking system. This marks a shift from previous years, when LIV tournaments were excluded due to format and eligibility concerns.

Can you use golf rankings when betting?

Yes, you can use golf rankings when betting. Golf rankings, such as the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) or the FedEx Cup standings, can provide valuable insight into a player’s performance and likelihood of winning a tournament. However, it’s important to also consider other factors such as the course layout, weather conditions, recent form, and injuries before placing a bet. Remember to always bet responsibly and within your means.

Are the golf rankings an accurate prediction of performance?

While golf rankings can serve as a general indicator of an individual’s performance, they are not always a foolproof way to predict an individual’s success. There are a variety of factors that can impact a player’s performance on any given day, such as weather conditions, course difficulty, and even personal life circumstances. Additionally, golf is a sport that relies heavily on mental focus, and a player may struggle with confidence or other mental blocks that can impact their performance regardless of their ranking. That being said, rankings can still provide valuable insights into a player’s past history of success and can aid in the assessment of their potential for future success. As with any sport, it’s important to consider multiple factors when analyzing a player’s capabilities and potential.

Do golf rankings include Ryder Cup performances?

No, golf rankings do not include Ryder Cup performances. The Ryder Cup is a team event where players from Europe and the United States compete against each other. Golf rankings, such as the Official World Golf Ranking, are based on individual performance in tournaments around the world. However, strong performances in the Ryder Cup can help a player’s reputation and status within the golfing community.

Do the golf rankings include the LIV tournament?

No, the golf rankings do not include the LIV tournament. The official world golf rankings (OWGR) take into account the performance of players in select professional golf tournaments around the globe. The LIV tournament, or any other relatively small and unofficial event, is not part of the ranking system. The OWGR includes events sanctioned by the PGA Tour, European Tour, Asian Tour, and other major tours.