Jon Rahm has criticised the ramifications of a new system which has been introduced to calculate the World Golf Rankings.
The Spaniard is one of several star names, alongside world number one Rory McIlroy and US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who are competing in the 50-strong DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
However, despite the end-of-season finale featuring four of the world's top 11 players, it carries considerably less ranking points in comparison to the RSM Classic which is being staged on the PGA Tour.
That is despite the event in Georgia being headlined by world number 12 Tony Finau, the points allocation instead being boosted due to the amount of participants and depth of field.
Rahm, the current world number five, took the opportunity to describe the recently-introduced system as "laughable", stating that he would not shy away from being "blunt" with his thoughts.
© Reuters
Speaking to the media ahead of the competition in the Middle-East, as quoted by BBC Sport, Rahm said: "I'm going to be as blunt as I can, I think the OWGR right now is laughable.
"I understand what they are trying to do with the depth of field but having the best players in the world automatically makes the tournament better.
"I don't care what their system says. I think they have made a mistake. I think some aspects of it might be beneficial but I think they have devalued the value of the better players.
"The 30 best players of the year should not be punished because it's a smaller field. Depth of field doesn't mean a better tournament. I could go on and on. I think they have missed the mark on that stance quite a bit."
Rahm will tee it up in Dubai having won the Open de Espana and recorded four other top-eight finishes from his most recent six starts.
Sitting down in 14th spot in the Race To Dubai, Rahm is not in a position where he can top the rankings come the end of the tournament.
Darren Plant
