It is undeniable that the entry-level LIV Golf Invitational Series has been building a powerful head, Inclusion of new players (many with major championship credentials), resulting in publicity and gaining momentum, it seems, in his quest for legitimacy.
But with the rain on gold select few who fill the LIV Golf list, a cloud of uncertainty continues to hover over the fledgling company managed by Greg Norman and generously secured by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, and It could dampen the prospects of its continuation in the future for years. For all the billions at its disposal, LIV Golf can’t buy the most important – and necessary – endorsement in professional men’s golf.
Without being able to offer golf’s official world ranking points, the LIV Golf Series will remain relatively far from the world golf scene, potentially offering its players a future of financial fortune versus what at first glance might seem like dwindling opportunities in the game’s major events. Not surprisingly, then, the emerging circuit sent an application on July 6 for accreditation to the OWGR Board, submitted through sponsorship from the Asian Tour. Peter Dawson, President of OWGR, He admitted receiving it after the board meeting during the Open Championship In St Andrews, it states that “application screening will begin.”
However, as it appears in its current form, LIV Golf does not have the necessary regulatory components for approval. Golf Digest has obtained information outlining the various criteria that must be met for approval, many of which appear to be unable to be met by LIV Golf if its application to OWGR reflects its current rules and governance. The following mandatory items appear to be missing:
1. Embrace inclusion and promote non-discriminatory practices.
2. The competitions are run on 72 holes, excluding the Developmental Tours (such as the Abema TV Tour, Alps Golf Tour, or EuroPro Tour, among others), which are permitted to be 54-hole events.
3. An annual open qualifying school held before the start of each season.
4. An average field size of 75 players over the course of a season.
5. He cut 36 holes whether he played 54 or 72 holes.
6. A clear opportunity to apply to a full member tour, i.e. to one of the six members of the International PGA Tour Association.
7. Reasonable access to local and regional players (ie Monday qualifiers) in each of its tournaments.
In addition, LIV Golf does not meet the requirements for a minimum schedule of 10 events, although it should be next year With her plan for 14 championships. This early myopia is important because the prospective tour must adhere to the OWGR guidelines for at least one year prior to inclusion. So even if approval is to be fast-tracked in some way, the OWGR guidelines suggest that the earliest date on which points can be distributed won’t begin until 2024.
Routinely, the OWGR approval process can take upwards of one to two years. The application is first reviewed by the 10-person OWGR Technical Committee, which will work with the applicant to resolve points of contention. It is then taken into consideration by a seven-member Board of Directors consisting of representatives from the four Grand Slams, the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and a representative from the Tour Association (Asian Tour, Australian Tour, Japanese Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour). Norman spoke out suggesting that representatives from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and other organizations represented on the board that have expressed reservations about LIV Golf should abstain from the vote.
LIV Golf meets – or is assumed to meet – some requirements, including playing by the rules of golf, offering a portfolio average of a minimum of $30,000 (Yes, that has been covered), the presence of a player committee as well as the eligibility criteria for the tournament, and the fulfillment of various administrative necessities such as timely reporting of accurate player data.
LIV Golf officials can respond to its list of shortcomings by citing a few exceptions found in the PGA Tour schedule. The PGA Tour offers five tournaments without pieces, two of which – the Sentry Tournament of Champions and Tour Championship – are well under 75 players. But the tour has 37 full field tournaments with cut-offs, and these tournaments fuel uncut events.
Then there’s the 20-player Hero World Challenge, hosted by Tiger Woods, which also awards OWGR points, but didn’t do so until it changed its field eligibility system.
The fact that these exclusions are one-time or apply to a tour that meets all other criteria in no way translates into an endorsement of LIV Golf, which in its entirety will require certification with all such exceptions.
Some of the points above require further clarification.
It is unclear whether LIV Golf can be considered an entity that promotes non-discriminatory practices – the first item on the list of OWGR standards. Her series may embrace the philosophy, but it’s safe to say that Saudi Arabia, its source of funding, does not. Landing Plan of LIV Golf It appears to be intended to address the third item, which is a qualified system. But it’s hardly an open system when some players are excluded from the process. Point number 6 is also very tricky, because the Asian Tour is LIV Golf’s sponsor for OWGR, the de facto first partner in their relationship. However, LIV Golf does not fuel the Asian Tour; It was set up just the opposite.
LIV Golf players discussed the possibility They may seek to supplement their ranking points by playing the Asian Tour events, but the idea has much less advantage now that it has begun reshaping the OWGR score distribution scale starting with FedEx St. Jude next week. new system, Which took several years to make, will not award minimum first-place points for tournaments with weak areas; Each event stands separately. Thus, the 14-point minimum Asian Tour score for a winner disappears, and their events will not be profitable on the OWGR scale. Adding LIV players who fall behind in the rankings during the lengthy application process will not significantly improve field strength – a vicious vortex of diminishing returns.
Should the LIV Golf make the necessary modifications, what will follow is a probationary period of at least three years, in accordance with OWGR procedures. At the time, LIV Golf could not return to its original scheme once it was accepted or would lose its OWGR accreditation.
The bottom line is that the LIV Golf will have to change its regulatory model significantly if it is to hope to gain the Good Housekeeping Seal of approval for the inclusion of OWGR. Can it exist without OWGR? Access to a war fund estimated at $620 billion suggests that it is possible. But what would the goal be? With its July 6 implementation, LIV Golf has already provided the answer.