Tiger Woods' legendary instructor Hank Haney takes a scathing jibe at the OWGR - "What Ranking System?"

Hank Haney, coach of the legendary Tiger Woods and two-time major championship winner Mark O'Meara, is a very active personality on social media.

Haney recently quote-retweeted golf writer Kyle Porter's tweet. He went on to take a call on the updated OWGR ranking system.

"Based on what ranking system? OWGR? If that’s the list, then 23 of the top 24 golfers in the world aren’t competing at the Phoenix Open."

Hank Haney

@HankHaney

Based on what ranking system? OWGR? If that’s the list then 23 of the top 24 golfers in the world aren’t competing at the Phoenix Open. twitter.com/kyleportercbs/…

Kyle Porter

@KylePorterCBS

Of the top 24 players in the world who are eligible to play the Phoenix Open, 23 will be in attendance. That's a major-like strength of field.

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Of the top 24 players in the world who are eligible to play the Phoenix Open, 23 will be in attendance. That's a major-like strength of field.

Based on what ranking system? OWGR? If that’s the list then 23 of the top 24 golfers in the world aren’t competing at the Phoenix Open. twitter.com/kyleportercbs/…

The revised and updated OWGR system has generated a lot of debate in recent days. Even professional golfers have expressed their opinions on it, in addition to fans. Neither the fans nor the top golfers are ready to accept the new guidelines of the ranking system.

Hank Haney's reaction was drawn by a tweet from golf writer Kyle Porter. The latter pointed out that in the upcoming Phoenix Open, 23 of the top-24 players in the world would be participating.

"Of the top 24 players in the world who are eligible to play the Phoenix Open, 23 will be in attendance. That's a major-like strength of field."

However, according to Haney, this claim is hollow as he doesn't trust OWGR. Just after he tweeted this, his comment section filled up with mixed reactions from various golfers, fans, and experts.

Expert and commentator John Ziegler agreed with Hank Haney's remarks but later went on to say that the players knew what they were keeping on the line when they 'sold out'.

"Hank, obviously part of being a top-ranked player is being willing to play in real competitions. LIV clearly doesn’t qualify. These players knew that when they sold out. This is part of the price they pay. They made their bed, why don’t you want them to be forced to lay in it?!"

John Ziegler

@Zigmanfreud

@HankHaney Hank, obviously part of being a top ranked player is being willing to play in real competitions. LIV clearly doesn’t qualify. These players knew that when they sold out. This is part of the price they pay. They made their bed, why don’t you want them to be forced to lay in it?!

@HankHaney Hank, obviously part of being a top ranked player is being willing to play in real competitions. LIV clearly doesn’t qualify. These players knew that when they sold out. This is part of the price they pay. They made their bed, why don’t you want them to be forced to lay in it?!

Former American golfer Colt Knost took a sarcastic take on Hank Haney's remarks and wrote:

"Ok you might be right! Does 21 of the top 25 in the world sound better to you? Either way, it’s going to be an incredible tournament!"

Colt Knost

@ColtKnost

@HankHaney Ok you might be right! Does 21 of the top 25 in the world sound better to you? Either way, it’s going to be an incredible tournament!

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@HankHaney Ok you might be right! Does 21 of the top 25 in the world sound better to you? Either way, it’s going to be an incredible tournament!

Kyle Porter returned to inform Hank Haney that out of 24 players in the OWGR eligible to play in the 2023 Phoenix Open, 23 will be in attendance. Only Will Zalatoris will not be taking part:

"Of the top 24 players in the OWGR who are eligible for the Phoenix Open, 23 will be in attendance. Only Zalatoris will not."

Kyle Porter

@KylePorterCBS

@HankHaney Of the top 24 players in the OWGR who are eligible for the Phoenix Open, 23 will be in attendance. Only Zalatoris will not.

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@HankHaney Of the top 24 players in the OWGR who are eligible for the Phoenix Open, 23 will be in attendance. Only Zalatoris will not.

According to one fan, Hank Haney has 'zero ways' to claim that OWGR is inaccurate.

"You have zero ways to back that up. Your words are totally subjective. There is no quantifiable data to compare the players you’re referencing to players who play OWGR sanctioned events. It was their choice to be golf mercenaries. We wish them the best in their endeavors."

A.J. Wlotko

@Wlotko_AJ

@HankHaney You have zero ways to back that up. Your words are totally subjective. There is no quantifiable data to compare the players you’re referencing to players who play OWGR sanctioned events. It was their choice to be golf mercenaries. We wish them the best in their endeavors.

@HankHaney You have zero ways to back that up. Your words are totally subjective. There is no quantifiable data to compare the players you’re referencing to players who play OWGR sanctioned events. It was their choice to be golf mercenaries. We wish them the best in their endeavors.

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How does the updated OWGR system work

The OWGR system works according to a specific formula. Field ratings will be produced for each tournament. Performance points, which are influenced in part by each player's Strokes Gained World Rating, are contributed by each player on the field.

The relative difficulty of each round is taken into account when calculating the global ranking on a rolling two-year basis. The overall field rating equals the total ranking points that will be awarded at the conclusion of the competition and are calculated by adding the performance points.

Prior to this, each tournament's top 200 players were utilized to establish the strength of the field for the OWGR.

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