Order of Merit
The order of merit is the season ranking of a professional tour — it ranks the players by prize money earned or points collected over the whole year.
The order of merit, often abbreviated as OOM, is the overall ranking of a tour season. Every tournament brings prize money or points, and the sum decides the position in the ranking. Whoever stands at the top at the end of the season counts as the most consistent player of the year, regardless of individual tournament wins. The major tours have led such rankings for decades, partly under their own names for their season rankings. For the professionals, it is about more than honor: the position in the order of merit decides playing rights, participation in closing tournaments and the tour card for the following year.
In practice, it works like this: over the season, a pro plays twenty to thirty tournaments of Stroke Play. Every cut they survive and every placing moves them forward in the ranking. An example: two players each win a tournament, but one misses the cut five times, while the other stands in the top ten twelve times. The second leads the order of merit, because consistency counts heavier than the single win. Towards the end of the season, often only the best-placed players contest a final series for the overall ranking.
A typical misconception is the confusion with the world ranking. The order of merit refers to one tour and one season, the world ranking to the results across all tours and a rolling period. For amateurs, the ranking has no direct meaning — your personal counterpart is rather the development of your Handicap over the year. When watching a tour report on television, the knowledge still helps to put the tables and final series into the right context.
FAQ
How does a player move up in the order of merit?
Through consistency over the whole season, not through individual wins. Every tournament brings prize money or points; every survived cut and every top placing counts. A player with one win and five missed cuts typically lies behind someone who stood in the top ten twelve times — consistency beats the single highlight.
Is the order of merit the same as the world ranking?
No, that is easily confused. The order of merit always refers to a particular tour and a season, while the world ranking evaluates results across all tours and over a rolling period. A pro can therefore lead their tour ranking without standing at the very top of the world ranking — and vice versa.
Does the order of merit have any meaning for me as an amateur?
Not directly — as an amateur, you do not play a tour season for prize money or points. Your personal counterpart is rather the development of your handicap over the year. When following the tour reports, however, the knowledge helps to put the tables and final series into the right context: whoever wins the order of merit at the end of the season was the most consistent player of the year, not necessarily the one with the most wins.