There has been a lot of talk about the situation since mid-summer 2022. Will the LIV Golf circuit one day be recognized by the global points system? After months of debate and delays, the much-anticipated decision came at the end of the day. Negative.
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Therefore, it is the approximately 50 participants in the race track, which is fully financed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), who cannot collect any valuable points in the world rankings.
What can they do to maintain their place on the world golf stage?
Anyone who qualifies for the four Grand Slam tournaments can collect points. The Asian circuit recognized by the global system is the other option.
For more than 30 years, the world rankings have been used as a tool for determining the fields of participants in major championships.
Chaired by Peter Dawson, a former British Royal and Ancient, the Governance Office includes representatives from Augusta National, the R&A, the United States Golf Association (USGA), the PGA of America, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Travel Commissioner Keith Pelley and the International Federation of Professional Tours.
“Not political”
Although several representatives from the governance office have made public and negative comments against LIV Golf, the world rankings management denied that it had made a political decision. The great man, Peter Dawson, mentioned purely technical reasons in his explanatory letter to the circuit’s leaders, including Commissioner Greg Norman.
Getty Images via AFP
Since formulating its request to integrate the global system last summer, there have been doubts about the admissibility of the LIV Golf format. The circuit is characterized by its individual game format, but also as a team, over three rounds, without a cut.
The global company’s governance committee also examined selection criteria, race track accessibility and relegation.
Peter Dawson, President of the World Golf Rankings. Getty Images/AFP
“To integrate the system, it would be necessary to develop a structure that invites new players based on goals such as performance and fairer and more efficient relegations of underperforming players,” it says.
“The role of the global points system is to attempt to fairly compare the performances of professional players participating in tour tournaments who meet the criteria set out in our playbook. For better or worse, these correspond to historical norms.”
Dawson added to the Associated Press: “LIV golfers are obviously good enough to be ranked. But they don’t play in a format where they can compete fairly with the 24 other circuits and their thousands of players.
Remember that before signing their big deal with LIV, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Patrick Reed and Co. were among the best golfers in the world. Johnson is now ranked 121st in the world and was ranked 13th at the time of his signing. At the end of 2022 he had fallen to 41st place. For now, only Smith (15th) and Brooks Koepka (18th) appear in the top 30.
Since signing with LIV Golf in June 2022, former world number one Dustin Johnson has fallen 108 places in the world rankings, from 13th to 121st. Getty Images via AFP
Strong reaction from LIV
Apparently LIV Golf reacted strongly to this decision in a press release.
“The main goal of the global system is to rank the best players in the world. This decision proves that this goal cannot be achieved.
“In the world of golf there is no real ranking and overall scoring system. “This lack of self-confidence and clarity leaves fans and players of no benefit unless the achievements of the best golfers are recognized,” the statement sent this week from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the site of the tournament, also said.
The global system does not close the door to a possible LIV response if the county wishes to submit a new application for inclusion.
Remember that the agreement in principle reached last June between the PGA Tour and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan is under review by American government authorities.
Read the response from World Golf Ranking management (in English only): https://www.owgr.com/news/owgr-denies-liv-golf-s-application-for-eligible-tour-status