DORAL — Joaquin Niemann was ranked 19th when he Joined Liv Golf. He qualified for all four majors this season and has played in more than 20 majors in his career.

He is just 24.

But with his Official World Golf Ranking slipping to No. 68 and the OWGR board denying LIV’s request for points, the North Palm Beach resident has little to no chance of playing on golf’s biggest stages … at least in the near future.

“It’s been a little bit frustrating the last couple months knowing that I’m going to be outside the top 50 and not going to be able to get into the majors,” Niemann said Thursday. “I’m going to have to try to go play different tours to try to win world ranking (points) but I still think it won’t be enough to make it because all the world rankings now are on the PGA Tour.

“It’s hard to be going higher in the world rankings.”

The ruling was a setback to LIV’s attempt to integrate into the golf space, leaving most of its players as spectators for the most important events of the year. This season, LIV averaged 16.5 golfers in each major, with a high of 18 at the Pga Championship and a low of 15 at the U.S. Open.

With each players’ world ranking slipping by the week, that list currently would be cut to single digits for each of the four majors in 2024: nine currently qualified for the Masters, seven for the British Open and six each for the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

Here is the list:

Masters: Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith.

PGA Championship: Martin Kaymer, Koepka, Mickelson, DeChambeau, Johnson, Smith.

U.S. Open: DeChambeau, Kaymer, Koepka, Johnson, Mickelson, Smith.

British Open: Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson, Mickelson, Smith, DeChambeau, Johnson, Koepka.

LIV’s roster includes 13 majors winners, led by Mickelson (six) and Koepka (five). All with the exception of Graeme McDowell have an exemption into at least one major in 2024. McDowell’s exemption for winning the 2010 U.S. Open expired in 2020.

Masters and PGA Championship winners have an exemption for life. U.S. Open champions are exempt for 10 years. British Open winners can play in the event up to age 60.

Koepka, Johnson, DeChambeau, Smith and Mickelson are eligible for all four majors in 2024.

Watson, who won the Masters in 2012 and 2014, has a quick solution to at least give the top LIV golfers a chance to play in a major.

Watson believes the top 10, or top 15, on LIV’s money list should be eligible to play in the biggest events.

“We shouldn’t go after world ranking points, we should go after top 10, top 15 on the money list,” Watson said. “These guys are so good. The top 10 this year could play against anybody. You could make a U.S. Team. You could make a European Team. They could play with anybody, our top 10.”

Talor Gooch, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka top LIV money list

The top 10 on LIV’s money list entering Friday’s team championship at Trump National Doral, the final event of the season, are Talor Gooch, Smith, Koepka, DeChambeau, Harold Varner, Johnson, Brenden Grace, Anirban Lahiri, Charles Howell and Mito Pereira.

Niemann’s world ranking fell in part because he missed the cut at the PGA Championship and British Open. He was 16th at the Masters and 32nd at the U.S. Open.

Niemann was asked how much he weighed the possibility of losing his status for the majors when he joined LIV Golf.

More: Phil Mickelson guarantees more PGA Tour golfers will jump to LIV: Who is he talking about?

“It was something I considered but then I knew the vision that LIV had in helping the game grow,” he said. “I thought about it … The majors is all about having the best players in the world competing against each other, and there’s a few guys here that (should be) competing for the majors with the best players in the world.”

“I’m going to try to do everything I can do to get into the majors. I’m not just going to sit and wait for an invite. Whatever it takes to get into the majors, I will try to do.”

Gooch, clearly, has had the best season on the LIV tour, winning three times with a runner-up, and capturing the individual championship. Gooch, 31, played in three majors this season, missing the cut at PGA Championship and British Open and placing 34th at the Masters.

Gooch’s world ranking was 35 when he joined LIV. He has plummeted to 201.

“Hopefully they find a way to have the best players in the world in majors,” Niemann said.