Jon Rahm vaults 14 spots in world rankings; Akshay Bhatia reaches career high

LIV Golf's inclusion in the Official World Golf Ranking continues to provide early dividends for its players, with Jon Rahm vaulting 14 spots to No. 36 following his victory in Hong Kong on Sunday.

It is the Spaniard's highest ranking in more than a year, as the former world No. 1 has steadily climbed since LIV Golf was added to the OWGR ahead of its 2026 debut. Rahm, who dipped as low as No. 84 to end 2025, had steadily climbed to No. 67 and then No. 50 with runner-up finishes in LIV's first two events of the season.

He then claimed his first individual tournament win since September 2024 with a three-stroke victory. That catapulted Rahm to No. 36 -- his highest ranking since sitting at No. 34 in January 2025.

Long-term questions still remain about how the current system will impact the full LIV Golf roster. With only the top 10 finishers in each event receiving rankings points, Sergio Garcia has been among the skeptics who point out that those who finish 11th or lower will be hurt by having a tournament with zero points added to their rankings equation.

There was a six-way tie for eighth place in Hong Kong. Paul Casey, who finished in a tie for 14th, saw his world ranking drop eight more points to No. 838. Graeme McDowell, who finished one stroke ahead in T8, catapulted 608 points to No. 900.

Granted, McDowell only played three events outside of LIV last year while his ranking plummeted as low as 2,103. Elvis Smylie, who also finished T8 in Hong Kong, saw his ranking remain at No. 73.

Thomas Detry rose nine spots to No. 61 with his runner-up finish in Hong Kong, while Thomas Pieters jumped 160 spots to No. 270 with his third place.

For comparison purposes, Akshay Bhatia climbed from No. 39 to a career-best No. 19 with his playoff victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Runner-up Daniel Berger rose 15 spots into the coveted top 50 and currently sits at No. 34.

--Field Level Media