Jon Rahm’s LIV teammate agrees with Talor Gooch’s call for world ranking reset, cites LIV Golf champion’s ranking to justify claim (Exclusive)

2023 LIV Golf Champion Talor Gooch on Saturday called for a ‘reset’ of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to level out the current divide in the golf world. Now, Jon Rahm’s LIV teammate Caleb Surratt has agreed to the suggestion. The 21-year-old, who joined the Saudi-backed league in 2024, said that the current standings isn’t ‘really fair’ to some players.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda after his final round at The International Series’ Moutai Singapore Open 2025, Surratt admitted that he ‘agrees’ with Gooch’s comments on the current state of OWGR. The young LIV backed the claim by stating that ‘nobody thinks Jon Rahm is the 80th best player in the world.’ He suggested the use of Data Golf and dubbed it ‘more accurate’ compared to the traditional world ranking.

For the unversed, Surratt’s Legion XIII skipper and reigning LIV Golf champion Rahm sits third on the Data Golf ranking behind Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood. It also has OWGR No.23 Bryson DeChambeau at seventh.

Caleb Surratt told Sportskeeda’s Vishnu Mohan at Singapore Island Country Club on Sunday:

“I can see that (reset of OWGR). I don't think anybody in the world thinks that Jon Rahm is the 80th best player in the world. That kind of speaks for itself. I'm not really one to speak on it. But I do think there would have to be some adjustment for that, right? Because it would hurt some players. It would benefit a player like myself who's trying to get his world golf ranking higher. But to somebody ranked really high, if the fields are ranked low just because some amazing players are still ranked low, that's not really fair.

I know it was their (LIV players’) decision to go. But I do think there's a lot of guys on LIV that are ranked lower that I think nobody thinks they're ranked that… I think even if they just went off of some data golf, that seems to be more accurate. But that is my opinion. I'm not really one to have a pick a side because I just want to play golf. But I would agree with Talor (Gooch).”

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Caleb Surratt 'likes' LIV Golf's 72-hole format change

LIV Golf on Tuesday revealed its decision to replace the existing 54-hole format with 72-hole events starting 2026. While the series’ decision garnered mixed reaction from fans and players, Caleb Surratt has admitted to ‘liking the changes.’ The LIV golfer dubbed the latest adaptation of four rounds as a “great step in the right direction” for the breakaway tour.

The former University of Tennessee alum added that he’s ‘loved’ his decision to play on the tour.

Commenting on LIV Golf’s format change, Caleb Surratt told Sportskeeda:

“I like the changes. It's something like, coming on I thought maybe could happen in the future. So, you know, I've loved my decision (to join LIV). I love playing out there. I hope to play out there for the long term. And I definitely think four rounds is a great step in the right direction.”

The young golfer went on to laud LIV Golf opening more possible pathways for its players to enter the major championships in coming years.

Surratt added:

“I think if you play really, really good golf, there's nothing holding back LIV players from getting in (the majors) right now… There are obviously qualifying opportunities, world ranking opportunities. But, you know, you've seen with the Open and the US Open, like, giving the top one player… So, it's definitely doable… I think more opportunities are to come, hopefully.”

For the unversed, Caleb Surratt finished T65 at The International Series’ Moutai Singapore Open 2025. He carded rounds of 66-68 to make the cut, however, struggled with back-to-back rounds of 77 to finish even par 288.