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LIV Golf on Thursday announced its strategic alliance with the MENA Tour (Middle East and Africa), a Dubai-based golf tour recognized by the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). According to a joint statement by MENA Tour and LIV, the association was to give the LIV golfer ranking points with immediate effect.
It is pertinent to note that LIV Golf is yet to be recognized by OWGR for its players to get ranking points. As the inaugural season of the invitational series nears its end, the players wrote a letter to OWGR officials demanding their inclusion in the points system. Following this, the Saudi-backed series seemingly tried another avenue by announcing a strategic alliance with the MENA Tour.
LIV CEO Greg Norman seems adamant to let its players earn OWGR points as they continually fall down the ranks compared to PGA stars.
LIV golfers fall ranks on OWGR
LIV events have not received OWGR accreditation. The controversial series’ players are merely playing for money and not rank points. This is an alarming situation. As the inaugural season of the newly introduced series reaches its business end, dozens of PGA Tour players have overtaken LIV golfers in the world rankings.
LIV golfers have continually fallen multiple spots in the world rankings ever since their defection. Players like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen, and Bryson DeChambeau have all fallen over 10 spots in the rankings. With the defection from the PGA Tour sided with bad form in the 54-hole event, Phil Mickelson’s 63 spot drop in the ranks is almost worrying. Here’s a full look at how far LIV’s stars have fallen since their defection to the breakaway series.
LIV golfers' fall as per OWGR
The stats are alarming for both the players and LIV Golf. The Saudi-backed series, launched as the “world’s biggest league” will find itself in a tough spot if golfers begin to choose world ranking stats over money. It is also noteworthy that all players who signed up for the series have been suspended from the PGA Tour and its events. This means they don't have many events on their calendar to win back the points they have lost over the past few months.
LIV seemed like they found an easy way out as they joined the alliance with the MENA Tour. However, the series has faced yet another blow as OWGR halted LIV’s “immediate” inclusion in the ranking system and said that the move is “under review.” As a result, golfers at the ongoing LIV Golf Bangkok event will not be awarded points.
LIV golfers will have to keep waiting to know the final verdict on whether they will garner world ranking points from playing in the series or not.
