LIV Golf stars world rankings surge after Masters as Bryson DeChambeau makes huge leap

Despite a less than stellar performance at the Masters, six LIV Golf stars have seen a significant boost in their rankings. The issue of world ranking for LIV has been a hot topic, as their 54-hole tournaments continue without offering Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

This has led to a slide down the rankings for its players. However, 13 were given an opportunity to climb back up after participating in the Masters. Five players from the breakaway circuit failed to make the 36-hole cut, meaning they couldn't gain any OWGR points. Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm also didn't make any progress despite making it through to the weekend.

However, six stars managed to improve their world ranking, with Bryson DeChambeau making the biggest leap after finishing tied-sixth. Here's a look at who else managed to secure some much-needed ranking points in Georgia. Former world No. 4 DeChambeau (210th to 110th), reports the Mirror, was the biggest jump in the LIV list thanks to his career-best performance at the Masters.

The American was leading after the first 18 holes at Augusta, before sharing the lead with Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa at the halfway point. Over the weekend, DeChambeau couldn't keep pace with world No. 1 Scheffler, finishing a full nine shots behind the champion. Despite this, his top-six finish allowed him to leap an impressive 100 places in the OWGR list from 210th to 110th.

Cam Smith, the skipper of Ripper GC, also finished in the tied-sixth spot. The Australian star, who won the 2022 Open Championship just weeks before his LIV defection, was unable to secure the coveted green jacket this time around. However, he performed well on a course where he has a strong track record.

Although he never truly contended, his one-under-par 71 in last Sunday's final round at Augusta moved him into the top-10 for the fourth time in five years. This performance saw the former Champion Golfer of The Year climb 16 places from 68th to 52nd.

Tyrrell Hatton is next on the list, managing to hold onto his place within the world's top-20 with a solid performance at Augusta. The Englishman, one of LIV's newest recruits, capitalised on a rare OWGR-sanctioned event by finishing in a tie for ninth, moving from 19th in the world to 16th.

For Hatton, the finish was more significant than most, as the Legion XIII star secured a spot at the 2025 Masters regardless of his ranking in 12 months' time, thanks to finishing the week inside the top-12 on the leaderboard.

Patrick Reed, who climbed from 112th to 85th, doesn't need to worry about his future exemption at the event after winning the green jacket in 2018. However, he will undoubtedly be eager to gain as much ground as possible in the world rankings after losing his playing rights at the other three major championships.

Despite failing to replicate his heroics from six years earlier, Reed put up a good show at Augusta, with a level-par 72 in the final round seeing the 4Aces star finish tied-12th and climb back into the world's top 100, at 85th.

Joaquin Niemann, who moved from 93rd to 82nd, has been seeking world ranking points away from the LIV circuit in recent months. The breakaway league's Order of Merit leader fell short in his quest to break into the world's top-50 to secure a Masters place earlier this year, but his efforts across various tours earned him a special invite to compete from Augusta National.

Accepting the invitation, Niemann ended the week tied for 22nd at four-over-par, which saw him climb 11 places in the rankings from 93rd to 82nd. Phil Mickelson improved his standing from 166th to 151st. Mickelson, a regular performer at Augusta, was also in action last week.

Although he couldn't replicate his second-place finish from the 2023 event, he still managed to climb up the world rankings. The three-time green jacket winner concluded the week tied for 43rd place after finishing eight-over par.