PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, European tour CEO Keith Pelley and Keith Waters of the International Federation of PGA Tours recused themselves from the LIV Golf decision to avoid any conflict of interest; LIV Golf can reapply to be part of the Official World Golf Ranking system
By Associated Press
LIV Golf is playing only for cash, not world ranking points, after the Official World Golf Ranking board determined it could not fairly measure the 48-man league with the other 24 tours around the world.
The OWGR rejected the application from Saudi-backed LIV Golf, first submitted in July 2022 after the league already had played two of its 54-hole, no-cut events.
“We are not at war with them,” Peter Dawson, chairman of the OWGR board, said when contacted by The Associated Press.
“This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical.
“LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, European tour CEO Keith Pelley and Keith Waters of the International Federation of PGA Tours previously recused themselves from the LIV Golf decision to avoid any conflict of interest.
The PGA Tour, European tour and Saudi backers of LIV Golf (Public Investment Fund) are currently working out a commercial partnership that was announced in June.
The committee that rejected LIV’s application comprised leaders from Augusta National, the PGA of America, the US Golf Association and The R&A, which run the four majors. The majors use the OWGR as part of their qualifying criteria.
LIV Golf made its debut in June 2022, with players who joined the rival league suspended by the PGA Tour and European tour, ensuring that their only access to points was the majors.
When LIV Golf complete its inaugural season, it had 12 players from the top 50 in the world (led by British Open champion Cameron Smith) and 24 of the top 100. In this week’s ranking, Smith (15th) and PGA champion Brooks Koepka (18th) are the only players from the top 50, and LIV has only six players among the top 100.
Among those no longer in the top 100 are Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Talor Gooch, who has three LIV Golf victories this year.
“Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, of course they should be in the ranking,” Dawson added. “We need to find a way to get that done.
“I hope that LIV can find a solution – not so much their format; that can be dealt with through a mathematical formula – but the qualification and relegation.”
LIV Golf can reapply to be part of the OWGR system, though the board made it clear that turnover, objective access to LIV Golf and relegating players who don’t perform remain key points in getting ranking points.
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