EXCLUSIVE: LIV Golf are contemplating ditching the game’s conventional rating system amid frustrations with being snubbed by the OWGR… as Saudi’s breakaway tour eye another for his or her new qualifying faculty forward of the 2024 season
- LIV have grown exasperated at continued refusal for rating level recognition
- Saudi-backed insurgent tour is contemplating turning its again on conventional system
- Comes amid rising issues that world golf rankings are now not correct
The LIV breakaway circuit is contemplating turning its again on golf’s conventional rankings system amid rising exasperation at how their request for recognition within the official standings has to date been missed.
Though the Saudi-backed league has no plans to withdraw its long-standing utility to the Official World Golf Rating physique, which if profitable would open a route into the majors for a lot of of their gamers, they’re exploring the potential of utilizing another rating system to find out eligibility to the brand new qualifying faculty they’re launching in November forward of their 2024 season.
Sportsmail understands LIV are monitoring the newly-launched Sports activities Illustrated World Golf Rankings in addition to the Common Golf Rankings, each of which allocate factors for performances on Greg Norman’s controversial tour, not like the OWGR.
Having launched their second season final week with out OWGR recognition, it’s understood LIV would possibly make a swap to a type of lesser established methods in the event that they proceed to be snubbed throughout their subsequent two occasions, in Tucson later this month and Orlando firstly of April.
The state of affairs with the OWGR has led to LIV’s star names plummeting down the standings, with Dustin Johnson’s newest rating of 54th held up as proof that the present construction has grow to be far too inaccurate.
Whereas Johnson stays eligible for majors, the issue is extra acute for gamers additional down the LIV pecking order who’re near falling outdoors the cut-offs for the large 4 tournaments, or have performed already.
The Greg Norman-led LIV Tour are contemplating turning their backs on golf’s conventional rankings system
Dustin Johnson (L) has come to typify issues within the rankings for the reason that breakaway occurred
LIV’s newest utility to the OWGR was filed in October and a return letter earlier this yr is believed to have outlined that they nonetheless don’t meet the factors. The particular particulars of the factors have been unclear, with the OWGR not commenting on ongoing purposes, however sources advised Sportsmail one key impediment is the predominant absence of ‘relegation’ from their circuit.
LIV have tried to resolve that problem for the 2023 season by introducing the relegation of 4 golfers from their 48-man roster – three of the 4 promoted gamers of their place would come from the qualifying faculty – however there may be appreciable confusion throughout the sport at how that sits with the assured participation of sure gamers. A supply pointed to Talor Gooch’s contract, which was made public final yr throughout courtroom wranglings within the US and revealed a non-relegation clause till the tip of the 2025 season.
