https://apnews.com/article/liv-golf-world-ranking-relegation-majors-7459ab02f956252752f956f3b547320d
LIV Golf loses its bid to earn ranking points over questions about a closed shop (Excerpts below)
“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 committee that rejected LIV’s application comprised leaders from Augusta National, the PGA of America, the U.S. Golf Association and The R&A, which run the four majors. The majors use the OWGR as part of their qualifying criteria.
Dawson, a non-voting member of the committee, said the OWGR could work around some of the requirements, such as a 36-hole cut and having an average field size of 75 players over the course of a season.
But the committee could not get past what amounts to a closed shop.
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.
There’s also the matter of the PGA Tour, the European tour and the Saudi backers of LIV Golf (the Public Investment Fund) working out a commercial partnership announced in June. One of the provisions is evaluating the future of team golf.
It notified LIV Golf of its decision with a letter the OWGR later posted on its website.“
