There is new irony in LIV Golf 's ongoing failure to secure Official World Golf Ranking status after Rory McIlroy's return to the sport's summit.
LIV rebels dominated the rankings list a decade ago when McIlory first reached his destiny of world No.1 at the Honda Classic in Florida. Now, defectors to Greg Norman's Saudi-backed invitational series are sliding down the rankings while one of its most fervent and candid critics has climbed back to golf's zenith.
Northern Irishman McIlroy replaced Scottie Scheffler as No.1 after defending his CJ Cup title in South Carolina on Sunday - his 23rd PGA Tour win by the age of 33. McIlroy has not only reinstated his status as the world's best player, but he has also been an unofficial spokesperson for the game's existing eco-system. Norman's persistence in using the blank Saudi cheque book to tear up the status quo has sparked a fierce civil war within golf and McIlory's strong objection to the rival tour has perhaps fueled his own remarkable rise in form.
McIlroy has now won three times - including the FedEx Cup - and achieved nine top 10s in his last 15 outings in what will no doubt go down as one of the greatest calendar years without major championship glory. Failure to get over the line in a major since 2014 continues to stifle McIlory - but agonisingly missing out on the 150th Open to new LIV rebel Cameron Smith should not be his abiding memory in 2022.
McIlory has resided near the top of the rankings ever since becoming the second youngest player to reach the summit, and his consistency at such an elite level is underlined by an unrecognisable top 10 list when he first achieved the feat.
In February 2012, McIlroy led Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Steve Stricker, Webb Simpson, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel and Hunter Mahan in the top 10.
LIV Golf has been accused of filling their fields mostly with players past their prime, and out of their four players who made up the top ten, only Dustin Johnson is inside the world's top 100 in the rankings. Johnson and Schwartzel have both won LIV Invitational events in its inaugural season, while European Ryder Cup greats Kaymer and Westwood continue to fall down the rankings.
New Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald was replaced by fresh-faced McIlroy when he beat Tiger Woods to the Honda Classic title in Florida. Donald has long faded from the echelons of elite golf after over a year at the top of the rankings as the 44-year-old's game takes a back seat as he prepares his team for the 2023 showdown in Rome.
Veteran Steve Stricker captained the U.S team to a 19-9 thrashing over Europe at Whistling Straights last year, and is now set to fall out of the top 1000 in the world. Meanwhile, struggling former world No.1 Day continues to toil as he battles to rediscover his form at No. 146.
McIlory benefits from having youth on his side, but this latest resurgence is proof of an incessant desire to challenge himself to improve and become the world's best. A major does not necessarily validate such esteemed status, but he now looks closer to breaking his eight-year duck than ever before.
