LIV Golf is participating in only for money, not entire world position points, soon after the Formal Planet Golf Ranking board decided it could not fairly evaluate the 48-guy league with the other 24 tours all-around the world.
The OWGR turned down the software from Saudi-backed LIV Golf, very first submitted in July 2022 just after the league already experienced performed two of its 54-gap, no-slice functions.
“We are not at war with them,” Peter Dawson, chairman of the OWGR board, stated when contacted by The Associated Press. “This selection not to make them suitable is not political. It is totally complex. LIV players are self-evidently fantastic plenty of to be ranked. They are just not participating in in a structure exactly where they can be rated equitably with the other 24 excursions and 1000’s of players making an attempt to contend on them.”
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, European tour CEO Keith Pelley and Keith Waters of the International Federation of PGA Tours beforehand recused themselves from the LIV Golfing conclusion to avoid any conflict of desire.
The committee that rejected LIV’s software comprised leaders from Augusta National, the PGA of America, the U.S. Golf Affiliation and The R&A, which run the four majors. The majors use the OWGR as component of their qualifying conditions.
LIV Golfing, which has two situations remaining in its 2nd season, has 48 players competing about 54 holes with no slash and a $20 million purse, with an supplemental $5 million awarded in a simultaneous crew level of competition.
Dawson, a non-voting member of the committee, stated the OWGR could get the job done all over some of the prerequisites, such as a 36-gap lower and possessing an common area measurement of 75 gamers above the training course of a year.
But the committee could not get previous what amounts to a closed store.
LIV Golf League has the same 48 players for the entire time (with alternates in case of injuries) and not more than enough turnover. Although the best 24 players are assured a place the next year, LIV Golfing signed several players to beneficial contracts that guarantee them a spot on the roster irrespective of their general performance.
Between those people now exterior the prime 24 are Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.
A few players are to be added for the 2024 time by way of a promotions event, with a fourth participant — Andy Ogletree — advancing via the Global Sequence on the Asian Tour. LIV Golf can opt for to increase other people by recruiting, these kinds of as signing up Mito Pereira and Thomas Pieters forward of the 2023 season.
Most tours about the world generally have a turnover charge of 20% to 25%.
LIV Golfing made its debut in June 2022, and the deficiency of environment rating factors has taken an tremendous toll. Players who joined the rival league ended up suspended by the PGA Tour and European tour, and their only obtain to factors was the majors.
When LIV Golf total its inaugural period, it experienced 12 gamers from the leading 50 in the earth (led by British Open up champion Cameron Smith) and 24 of the top rated 100. In this week’s position, Smith (No. 15) and PGA winner Brooks Koepka (No. 18) are the only gamers from the best 50, and LIV has only six players among the the major 100.
Between all those no lengthier in the leading 100 are Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Talor Gooch, who has a few LIV Golfing victories this yr. LIV players have mocked the OWGR for not staying credible with out offering them ranking details.
“Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, of training course they must be in the position,” Dawson stated. “We have to have to discover a way to get that completed. I hope that LIV can uncover a resolution — not so significantly their structure that can be dealt with by a mathematical formulation — but the qualification and relegation.”
The OWGR committee also raised problems above the crew facet of LIV, particularly a instant involving Sebastian Munoz at a LIV Golfing party in Florida a 7 days before the Masters.
Koepka experienced a one particular-shot guide on the remaining hole, with he and Munoz each about 40 ft absent for birdie. Koepka went initially and left the putt just around 4 toes absent. Munoz required to make birdie to power a playoff. Nevertheless, his Torque group experienced a one-shot lead. Munoz lagged his putt to just within 4 toes and produced par.
“I understood we ended up 1 stroke forward on the group, so I could not go additional. I knew I could not be also intense,” Munoz mentioned when it was in excess of.
LIV Golfing can reapply to be portion of the OWGR procedure, however the board designed it clear that turnover, objective access to LIV Golfing and relegating gamers who really don’t execute keep on being crucial points in having position points.
You can find also the matter of the PGA Tour, European tour and Saudi backers of LIV Golfing (General public Expense Fund) doing the job out a commercial partnership declared in June. One particular of the provisions is evaluating the long run of team golfing.
