LIV golfers competing in Thailand this weekend will not earn world rating points, in what serves as a humiliation to the insurgent tour after public claims on the contrary.
An alliance between LIV and the feeder, Middle East and North Africa Tour, was introduced on Monday. Through that, LIV believed it lastly had entry to the official world rating system (OWGR). LIV gamers, together with the Open champion, Cameron Smith, have been afforded Mena membership. A press release learn: “The alliance will boost the Mena Tour’s development programs and immediately qualify LIV Golf for OWGR points, starting with the LIV Golf Thailand event at Stonehill this week.”
Not so quick, was basically the message from OWGR headquarters. No doubt acutely aware of the loophole being utilized by LIV, the OWGR board has denied fast rankings standing. The OWGR stated: “Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) received a communication from the Mena Tour on October 5th, 2022, at 13:05 BST. The communication detailed significant changes to the Mena Tour’s membership structure along with an outline of the initial series of tournaments in the 2022/23 Mena Tour season.
“OWGR notes that the first two tournaments in this series appeared to be the same as the LIV Golf Invitational Series tournaments in Bangkok and Jeddah. The communication from the Mena Tour included a starting field data file for the Bangkok tournament, confirming that to be the case. A review of the changes to the Mena Tour is now underway by the OWGR.
“Notice of these changes given by the Mena Tour is insufficient to allow OWGR to conduct the customary necessary review ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok (7-9 October) and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah (14-16 October).”
The erratic nature of LIV’s method to all issues OWGR is emphasised by the actual fact it had already utilized for involvement in July. On face worth, LIV fails to fulfill a number of of the OWGR’s standards. The OWGR board, chaired by Peter Dawson, consists of representatives of all 4 majors plus the PGA and DP World Tours.
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The OWGR assertion added: “Only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the Mena Tour’s new ‘Limited Field Tournaments’, defined by the Mena Tour in its Regulations as ‘any Mean Tour-approved tournament, which comprises of a player field of less than 80 players.’ Regular official Mena Tour events conducted over 54 or 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes, and its Tour Championship, typically conducted over 54 holes with no cut, remain eligible for inclusion in the OWGR.”
LIV tournaments, of which there have been 5, are over 54 holes and have no reduce.
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