LIV Golf, not surprisingly, fired back hard at professional golf’s ruler’s that control the Official World Golf Ranking following the request that its players qualify for points in the rankings. The rejection means that some of the world’s top players, including Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, basically will be ignored on the world stage because LIV Golf plays a different tournament format than the PGA Tour and R&A approved tournaments.
Here’s the statement:
“OWGR’s sole objective is to rank the best players across the globe. Today’s communication makes clear that it can no longer deliver on that objective.
Players have historically remained subject to a single world ranking to qualify for Major Championships, the biggest events, and for corporate sponsor contract value. A ranking which fails to fairly represent all participants, irrespective of where in the world they play golf, robs fans, players and all of golf’s stakeholders of the objective basis underpinning any accurate recognition of the world’s best player performances. It also robs some traditional tournaments of the best fields possible.
Professional golf is now without a true or global scoring and ranking system. There is no benefit for fans or players from the lack of trust or clarity as long as the best player performances are not recognized.
LIV will continue to strive to level set the market so fans, broadcasters, and sponsors have the assurance of an independent and objective ranking system and the pure enjoyment of watching the best golf in the world.”
OWGR points are critical for players, who aren’t otherwise exempt, qualifying the golf’s Major Championships, including the Masters.
It’s unclear how this rejection might impact the of the so-called “merger” currently being negotiated now by the Tour and representatives of the LIV Golf, which is financially-backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
LIV Golf’s next event will be Team Championship, Oct. 20-22, at Trump National Doral in Miami.
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